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Kenya builds health workers capacity to improve care for refugee and migrant communities

Kenya builds health workers capacity to improve care for refugee and migrant communities

31 mai 2025 | Kenya
“The risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks remains high, particularly in refugee camps and border regions where migrants are underserved. This long-overdue training is both timely and strategic as we work to close critical gaps in migration health,” said Gladys Mutethya, Epidemiologist at the Ministry of Health.

Garissa County—Kenya has taken a significant step toward strengthening health migration by training 35 frontline healthcare workers from Garissa, Wajir, and Mandera counties. These regions host large population of migrant, refugee, and nomadic communities.

The training aimed to enhance the capacity of health workers to  detect and respond to outbreaks of vaccine-preventable diseases among migrants, who face increased risk due to low routine immunization coverage limited health screening, and barriers to accessing essential health services.

Led by the Ministry of Health and Garissa County Department of Health, with the support of World Health Organization Kenya country office, the initiative was launched in response to repeated outbreaks of circulating vaccine derived poliovirus type 2, measles. It also sought strengthen the capacity of health workers in the Dadaab refugee complex which now hosts over 416,000 migrants and refugees-many of them recent arrivals who remained unvaccinated.

Participants engaged in a mix of lecture based learning and hands on simulations, covering key areas including disease surveillance, outbreak investigation, immunization outreach, and cold chain management. They also reviewed national immunization guidelines and developed localized action plans to support county level response. “It was a valuable experience to co-facilitate this important regional training,” said Habon Abdi, Deputy Director of Family Health Services, Garissa County.” The shared regional context enriched the training, as participants exchanged real-life experiences and practical solutions to common challenges of reaching migrant communities with essential health services.”

The training directly supports Kenya’s commitments under the WHO Global Action Plan for the Health of Refugees and Migrants (2019–2030), aligning national investments in workforce capacity with global priorities for migration. “This will be a game changer in improving timely detection and response to disease outbreaks among migrants, particulary in high-risk and underserved areas,” said Abdiwahid Noor, WHO Health and Migration Officer.

Peer learning and local ownership were central to the training’s success. Participants are now expected to cascade their knowledge to colleagues at health facilities, ultimately improving service delivery for migrant and underserved communities. “This training has equipped me with new tools and insights to improve immunisation coverage and disease surveillance for the migrant community in my sub-county of Wajir,” said Hassan Dubow, Disease Surveillance Coordinator, Wajir South. “Thank you to the organisers for such a meaningful and inspiring experience,” he added.

The training also helped strengthen coordination among national, county, and international health actors, reinforcing the importance of cross-border collaboration in advancing migration health. “To sustain progress in migration health, we must institutionalize regular joint capacity-building and cross-county peer learning,” said Dr. Adam Haji, District Health Systems Officer, WHO. “This is key to strengthening routine immunization and disease surveillance systems that effectively serve migrant and nomadic mobile populations.”

The risk of vaccine-preventable disease outbreaks among migrant population remains high. Strengthening the skills of frontline health workers is an critical step towards ensuring timely detection, prevention, and response to the public health threats migrants face. Together, we are investing in a more resilient health system for all.

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