A new malaria prevention campaign in Turkana County is set to reach 39,000 children aged between three and 59 months in the Kakuma and Kalobeyei areas. The initiative involves the distribution of antimalarial drugs under the Seasonal Malaria Chemoprevention (SMC) program and aims to reduce infection rates among both local communities and refugees living in the region.
The campaign is being carried out through a partnership between the county government, the National Malaria Control Programme, and various international health organizations. It marks an important step in combatting a disease that continues to place a significant burden on Turkana’s health system.
The rollout of the campaign began in Kakuma, where county officials emphasized the importance of preventive treatment for children during the high-transmission rainy season. The SMC intervention, which achieved up to 71 per cent efficacy in its initial rollout in Turkana Central, is expected to yield similarly promising results in Kakuma and Kalobeyei. These areas currently report as many as 7,000 malaria cases every month.
Health authorities have assured parents and guardians that the medication is safe, and encouraged them to ensure their children receive all four cycles of treatment, which will be administered monthly from August to December. The timing of the intervention is strategic, coinciding with the rainy season when malaria transmission typically peaks.
The SMC initiative forms part of a broader malaria control strategy in Turkana County. Other key interventions include the distribution of insecticide-treated mosquito nets, preventive treatments for pregnant women, surveillance of mosquito populations, use of spatial repellents, and strengthened case management at health facilities.
Turkana continues to bear one of the highest malaria burdens in Kenya, with a prevalence rate of 39 per cent—far above the national average of 6 per cent. The current incidence rate stands at 483 cases per 1,000 people, with Turkana West alone accounting for over half of all cases.
Local health leaders have called on the community to actively support the initiative by using mosquito nets, seeking timely medical care, and participating in preventive programs. The success of the campaign, they say, depends on both medical intervention and community engagement.
