ActionAid International Kenya (AAIK) and Kisumu County Government will partner to improve the livelihoods of the vulnerable in the county; they include children, poor rural women, the youth, and persons with disabilities. The partnership was affirmed during a meeting held at the county offices on 31st March 2023 between the county representatives led by the Chief Executive Committee Member (C.E.C.M) in charge of Water, Environment, Climate Change and Natural Resources, Maryline Yanzar Agwa and the AAIK team led by the Executive Director Susan Otieno. 
Kisumu County and ActionAid International Kenya team pose for a photo after the meeting.
ActionAid International Kenya is launching a new Local Rights Program (LRP) in Nyakach, a sub-county within Kisumu County. Local Rights Program (LRP) is an approach through which ActionAid International Kenya funds projects and programmes in a locality. The core strategy for the LRPs is working in partnerships to eradicate poverty and promote access to fundamental rights and services.
ActionAid International Kenya is not new in the county. The organisation has been implementing a 5-year programme that targeted out of schoolgirls and is currently implementing another program that seeks to increase access to justice and security for survivors of Gender Based Violence in Nyalenda, an informal settlement in Kisumu County.
Why Nyakach in Kisumu County
Nyakach is one of the seven Sub Counties or Constituencies that makeup Kisumu County. It has an area of approximately 357.30 square Kilometres and has a population of 133,041 (KNBS 2013). Two distinct terrains make up the land surface. There is the Nyabondo Plateau, commonly known as Upper Nyakach, and the lowland known as Lower Nyakach. There are five County Assembly Wards in Nyakach Constituency North Nyakach, Central Nyakach, West Nyakach, and Southwest Nyakach.
Nyakach was selected because it ranks high on the national poverty rating and other human development indices.
Author: Ezra Kiriago (Communications Coordinator, ActionAid Kenya)