West Pokot Launches Public Health Emergency Operations Centre to Strengthen Crisis Response

The County Government of West Pokot has officially launched its Public Health Emergency Operations Centre (PHROC), with County Executive Committee Member for Health and Sanitation, Paul Woyakapel, leading the event.

He was accompanied by County Executive Committee Members Martin Lottee (Public Service Management and , Devolved Units and ICT), Esther Chelimo (Lands, Housing, and Urban Development), Chief Officer for Health and Sanitation, Nelly Soprin, and Kapenguria Municipal Manager, Donato Longal.

The PHROC is designed to improve the county’s capacity to respond to public health emergencies impacting both humans and animals, as well as the environment.

The facility will act as a central point for coordinating and managing responses to health threats, including cholera, measles, meningitis, malaria, and rabies. This initiative, part of a broader effort to establish similar centers across 25 counties, is supported by Global Implementation Solutions (GIS) and funded by the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Local leaders present stressed the importance of prevention in managing public health crises.