In Kenya’s Samburu, fathers buck gender stereotypes to champion immunisation
Traditionally children’s health is a mother’s domain – but this group of dads argues that vaccination is part and parcel of a very masculine tradition of protection.
- 7 January 2026
- 7 min read
- by Gitonga Njeru
At a glance
- Formed last year in response to the “frustration” of seeing children fall ill with preventable diseases, the grassroots group who call themselves Samburu Fathers for Health have taken up the immunisation cause, claiming their part in a traditionally maternal responsibility.
- They stand to make an important difference: 18% of Samburu children are unvaccinated, against a national rate of 9%.
- “When fathers accompany us, attendance doubles, or even triples. Families feel respected when men show support,” says nurse Loise Lesan.
When dawn breaks over the ochre-tinted plains of Samburu, the silence is often disturbed only by the bells on browsing goats and the rhythmic stamping of cattle hooves. But on a recent Tuesday morning, outside Lesidai Health Centre in Loosuk Ward, the day was rung in by the chorusing voices of men, calling families to gather for a vaccination outreach session.
Part of a new grassroots initiative called Samburu Fathers for Health, the men varied by age and social background, but had clubbed together in an effort to redefine community responsibility for children’s wellbeing – particularly in the fight against vaccine-preventable diseases.
Samburu County, considered one of Kenya’s most remote regions, is changing fast. Maralal, Wamba, Kisima and several other trading centres are urbanising. New shops, mobile money kiosks and motorbike taxi stands have sprung up; western clothing, an indicator of cultural connection to Nairobi and the world beyond, is growing more common. But seasonal migration, difficult terrain, long distances from health facilities, gender norms and insecurity continue to hinder access to routine immunisation for Samburu children.
According to 2025 figures collated by the World Health Organization and UNICEF, 18% of eligible children in the county had missed out on even the first dose of the basic diphtheria, pertussis and tetanus-containing vaccine (DPT1), with 21% of children failing to receive the recommended three doses of that jab. Nationally, just 9% of children had gone unvaccinated, meaning children in Samburu are twice as likely to be “zero-dose” than in Kenya as a whole.
It was against persistently elevated risks of under-vaccination that Samburu Fathers for Health was formed early in 2025.
What started as an informal conversation between several concerned men has evolved into a respected community force that community health workers now rely on to reach families traditionally left out of vaccination campaigns.
Born of “frustration”
Gedion Lelemoyog, a father of eight from Wamba and one of the group’s earliest members, says that Samburu Fathers for Health grew out of frustration.
“We saw many children falling sick from illnesses that we knew could be prevented,” he said, adjusting his red traditional gown as families began to cluster outside the Lesidai Health Centre.
“We protect cattle fiercely. But we realised we were not doing the same for our children,” he said.
Lelemoyog's oldest child, ten-year-old Hellen Senteria, spoke softly but confidently as she held her younger brother’s hand. “My father brought us to the clinic, and we are all vaccinated,” she said. “I don’t fear injections because they help us stay healthy so we can go to school.”
Another father, Ismael Loloju, comes from the Suguta valley, an area that is difficult to access during the rainy season. Loloju explained that he once believed vaccination was solely a mother’s duty. “But now we work as a team. When fathers show interest, the household listens,” he said.
His eight-year-old son, Silas, beamed at him with admiration. “My father says I must be strong,” the boy said. “He tells me injections help me chase goats without getting sick.”
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Bridging old tradition and new practices
Photo credit: ILRI Livestock CRP/ Kabir Dhanji
The fathers say their first task was to dismantle the belief that men should stay removed from children’s healthcare. They reframed vaccination as a modern extension of the Samburu tradition of protection. That messaging resonated deeply.
Today, the group includes fathers from Lorroki, Wamba, Baragoi, Archer’s Post and the surrounding pastoralist belts. With their knowledge of local migration patterns, clan structures and seasonal camps, they help health teams map where unvaccinated families may be located.
“Despite our strong efforts, we have never gotten any recognition. Not even the media has ever recognised us... But we will keep on with our work,” says 49-year-old Phillip Lemaron, who owns a modern home near Maralal Town and is the father of two daughters.
At the outreach session, they begin the day by splitting tasks. Some men organise families under a temporary sunshade. Others assist health workers carrying cold boxes, chairs and record-keeping supplies. A few step aside to talk to elders, ensuring their blessing for the day’s activities.
The atmosphere is calm, cooperative and unusually male-dominated for a child health event.
Health workers see the difference
Nurse Loise Lesan, who has worked in the Loosuk area for eight years, says the initiative has changed the dynamics of outreach dramatically.
“There was a time we could travel 20 kilometres and only vaccinate three or four children,” she says. “But when fathers sometimes accompany us, attendance doubles or even triples. Families feel respected when men show support,” she added.
She explains that in some manyattas – homesteads or villages – mothers were previously hesitant to walk long distances without male approval.
“Now, fathers themselves lead the way. It has reduced conflict at home and increased cooperation during our visits,” she says.
Ester Ewoi, a community health promoter from Wamba, echoes the sentiment. “Samburu men have authority entrenched in their culture. When they speak, the message spreads fast. We are identifying more zero-dose children than ever before because these fathers know where the families have moved,” she explains.
Reaching families on the move
According to Ewoi, one of the biggest obstacles in Samburu remains the population’s patterns of mobility.
“When drought pushes families to travel in search of pasture, tracking immunisation schedules becomes difficult,” she said.
That’s something the Samburu Fathers for Health can help with. During a recent outreach near Baragoi, members of the group used their knowledge of cattle movements to locate several families who had migrated earlier in the year.
Among them was 14-month-old Jonah Etepei, a previously zero-dose child whose parents had moved with their herd toward the Milgis area.
Loloju and two other fathers helped health workers trace the family, explaining the importance of immunisation in Samburu and translating medical details into Maa.
“We found them before evening. The mother thought the distance was too far, but when she saw us arrive with the nurses, she said she would never miss again,” Loloju recalls.
He received his first vaccinations that day. His four-year-old sister, Ntearika, said: “My brother cried, but now he sleeps better. Mama says he will grow strong.”
Cultural seedlings take root
There are signs that the Samburu Fathers for Health are managing to inspire change beyond the ranks of their membership. Rachael Lelesai, a mother of three from Lorroki, said: “Before, I would beg my husband to let me go to the clinic. Now he reminds me himself.”
Her husband, Selemesi Sempushuna, adds, “We must move with the times. Our traditions are strong, but so must be our children. Vaccination protects our future,” he explained.
Their daughter, 11-year-old Silantoi, says she likes it when her father comes along. “He says if we stay healthy, we can become anything we want. Even become President of Kenya.”
Challenges persist
Despite some progress, challenges remain. Communities are still far from facilities, and health teams depend on fuel, motorbikes and staff availability to reach them.
Insecurity along remote routes occasionally disrupts planned activities.
Samburu Fathers for Health also operate voluntarily, which limits how many homesteads they can visit.
Expanding the initiative may require long-term support – training, resources and coordination with local authorities. But the fathers also hope their model can spread to other regions of northern Kenya.
They believe that when men see the practical benefits and cultural alignment, they will adopt similar roles. “We are not abandoning our traditions,” Lelemoyog says. “We are strengthening them. Strong children make strong clans,” he added.
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