Marsabit MCA calls for activation of Ebola response mechanisms

By Samuel Kosgei

Sagante Jaldesa Ward Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Amos Wako Guyo has called on the Marsabit County Department of Health to urgently activate emergency response mechanisms and strengthen preparedness for a possible Ebola outbreak.

In a statement delivered before the Marsabit County Assembly on Wednesday, Wako proposed a series of measures aimed at enhancing disease surveillance, protecting healthcare workers and improving the county’s capacity to detect and respond to suspected Ebola cases.

Wako noted that Marsabit shares a long border with Ethiopia, arguing that the county executive should immediately activate the Marsabit County Public Health Emergency Operations Centre and Sub-County Rapid Response Teams to strengthen surveillance for suspected viral haemorrhagic fevers.

He further cited the Isiolo–Moyale Highway, a major regional transport corridor used by travellers, truck drivers and livestock traders from across Kenya and neighbouring countries, as another reason for the county to strengthen its disease surveillance and emergency preparedness measures.

The MCA called for the urgent procurement and distribution of personal protective equipment (PPE), isolation kits and other essential infection prevention and control supplies to health facilities, including Marsabit County Referral Hospital and hospitals in Moyale and Laisamis.

Recognising the challenges of reaching pastoralist communities in remote areas, Wako proposed deploying mobile community health promoters and disease surveillance officers equipped with communication tools suited to nomadic populations to monitor, detect and report suspected cases in remote grazing areas and border settlements.

He also urged the county to launch culturally sensitive public awareness campaigns in Rendille, Borana, Samburu, Turkana and Swahili to educate residents on Ebola symptoms, prevention measures and channels for reporting suspected cases.

The campaigns, he proposed, should be conducted through chiefs’ barazas, religious leaders and community health promoters to improve public awareness and encourage timely reporting.

Wako further called for the establishment and equipping of designated isolation facilities, supported by trained healthcare personnel capable of managing suspected Ebola cases and adhering to appropriate safety protocols.

He proposed enhanced screening at key entry and transit points, including the Moyale One Stop Border Post, Marsabit town, Laisamis, North Horr and Sololo, with trained personnel, thermal scanners and travel history questionnaires.

The MCA also stressed the need to train and protect healthcare workers, including community health promoters, on case identification, infection prevention and control, and safe referral procedures, while ensuring adequate supplies of protective equipment.

Additionally, he proposed establishing a toll-free reporting line for suspected cases and disease-related rumours, with a mechanism to ensure that all reports are promptly followed up.

The county’s health department has been given two weeks to respond to the motion, setting a deadline for the executive to address the concerns raised in the assembly.

The proposals seek to strengthen disease surveillance and emergency preparedness in Marsabit, particularly in border areas and remote pastoralist communities where population mobility and long distances may complicate the detection and reporting of infectious diseases.