One Health Report

✅ Key Achievements 

1. Strengthened One Health Governance in Kakamega County 

• Establishment of the County One Health Unit (CoHU), formalized by a signed Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) among departments (human health, animal health, and environment). 
• Development and launch of a County One Health Strategic Plan, enhancing coordinated response and planning. 

2. Improved Zoonotic Disease Surveillance and Response 

• Notable absence of human anthrax cases in Ikolomani sub-county since the implementation of ZoNoH activities. 
• More coordinated outbreak responses, with human, veterinary, and environmental officers deploying jointly, minimizing redundant resource use. 

3. Capacity Building and Awareness 

• Health professionals, especially clinicians, have increased knowledge and early detection capability for anthrax and other zoonotic diseases. 
• Enhanced community-based surveillance via local actors and organizations like Red Cross. 

4. Resource Mobilization and Budgeting 

• Increased resource allocation: For example, the human health surveillance budget rose from KES 700,000 to KES 1.5 million. 
• Kakamega County Environment Department committed KES 5 million for One Health activities. 
• Integration of One Health items into County Integrated Development Plans (CIDP) and annual work plans. 

5. Implementation and Use of ZoNoH Tools 

• Deployment of ZoNoSync, a replicable participatory process for zoonotic disease prevention. 
• Delivery of training materials, toolkits, and summary reports for county teams. 
• Use of strategic frameworks and theories of action for planning and evaluating impact. 

6. Improved Multisectoral Collaboration 

• More frequent and effective joint planning and implementation across departments. 
• Monthly meetings and technical working groups (TWGs) established to track progress and maintain coordination. 

7. Increased Advocacy and Political Support 

• County and sector leaders, including CECs, are now publicly discussing and supporting One Health approaches. 
• Elevated understanding among policymakers of the health, economic, and environmental risks of zoonoses. 

🤝 Commitments Made 

1. Sustainability and Scale-Up 

• Commitment from Kakamega County to support scaling of ZoNoH work beyond Ikolomani, especially in Malava and Shinyalu sub-counties. 
• Request for support to expand to neighboring counties like Nandi, due to cross-border transmission risks. 

2. Continued Partnership and Collaboration 

• Amref Health Africa committed to joint resource mobilization and continued technical support. 
• Ongoing engagement with partners such as Red Cross and ZDU. 
• Sharing of tools, research outputs, and guidance via the ZoNoH website. 

3. Integration into Broader Systems 

• Integration of One Health strategies into routine county planning and budgeting frameworks. 
• Plans to sensitize and train more staff across all departments. 

4. Community of Practice Engagement 

• Encouragement to join global and regional platforms such as the FAO One Health Knowledge Nexus and Amref’s HEAL quarterly webinars to share and learn from other One Health initiatives. 

5. Advocacy and Championing One Health 

• Participants committed to becoming advocates for One Health in their respective roles and spheres. 
• Use of shared tools to mobilize additional partners and resources.