Turkana County Opens First Optical Workshop to Tackle Region's Eye Care Crisis
Lodwar, 11 March 2026
A groundbreaking £9 million optical facility launched at Lodwar Hospital addresses Turkana’s alarming blindness rates, which stand at 6.2% - double Kenya’s national average. The workshop, supported by Fred Hollows Foundation, serves Kenya’s second-largest county and its 20,000 residents living with varying degrees of blindness, including refugees in Kakuma camps who previously lacked access to specialized eye care services.
Historic Launch Marks Healthcare Milestone
The optical workshop officially opened on 11 March 2026 at Lodwar County Referral Hospital, representing the first time comprehensive optical services will be available within Turkana County [1]. The facility cost KES 9 million to establish and has already generated KES 307,000 in revenue during its first month of operation [1]. This achievement comes after 12 years of sustained intervention by the Fred Hollows Foundation across the North Rift region [1]. The workshop provides various optical frames, including frameless glasses that were previously only available in major urban centres [1]. For residents seeking treatment, the county government encourages registration with the Social Health Authority (SHA) to ensure affordable access to these optical services [1].
Addressing Critical Health Statistics
The workshop directly tackles Turkana’s severe eye health crisis, where avoidable blindness affects 6.2% of the population - nearly double the national rate of 3.2% [1]. Approximately 20,000 people in Turkana currently live with varying degrees of blindness, a figure that Ben K’Olwa, North Rift Regional Coordinator for The Fred Hollows Foundation, describes as ‘a concern that we are working to address in partnership with this Department’ [1]. The county has made significant progress in combating trachoma, with prevalence rates dropping from 52% in 2010 to below 5% by 2026, approaching the global elimination threshold [1]. However, Suguta Sub-County still requires additional intervention to meet elimination targets [1].
Comprehensive Service Delivery Model
Patients can now receive complete eye care at a single location, as the County Executive Committee Member noted: ‘For the first time in Turkana, optical services will be offered right here at the LCRH where patients can be diagnosed and receive glasses to correct refractive errors’ [1]. The workshop addresses critical gaps in specialized medical services for both local residents and the substantial refugee populations in Kakuma and Kalobeyei camps [GPT]. Daniel Esimit, Director for Preventive and Promotive Health, outlined expansion plans: ‘Currently the services are available at LCRH, but we want to see them expanded to sub-county hospitals and lower-level facilities so that more residents can access these services closer to their communities’ [1].
Future Investment and Sustainability
The Fred Hollows Foundation has committed an additional KES 11 million during the Financial Year 2025/2026 to support further eye health interventions across Turkana [1]. This sustained investment model reflects the organization’s long-term commitment to addressing avoidable blindness in the region. The workshop’s early financial performance, generating over KES 300,000 in revenue within its first operational month, suggests a viable path toward sustainability [1]. Residents requiring optical services can access the facility through the Social Health Authority registration system, which provides affordable healthcare coverage [1]. The initiative serves Kenya’s second-largest county, covering 77,000 square kilometres in the northwestern region [1].