 Hi, I'm Axon Mware, presenting the findings of an exploratory study which focused on community participation in zoonotic disease prioritization, a case study of Nguruman in Kenya. Evidence shows that people living in remote areas near protected areas have a high risk of contracting zoonotic diseases. These communities often have no capacity to detect, control, and manage disease outbreaks. Coincidentally, communities rely on external help, which has succeeded in some areas but failed in others. Partly, this failure is due to lack of resources and ownership by local communities to sustain programs and lack of political support. This study aimed to understand how socioeconomic and political determinants shape community participation in zoonotic disease prioritization in Nguruman. Community participation was conceptualized by combining two perspectives of participation, that is participation as a means to an end and participation as a form of empowerment. This approach was adopted to provide a holistic understanding of community involvement in disease management. Taking an ethnographically informed qualitative approach, four key informant interviews and three focus group discussions were conducted in areas around Nguruman, an area located in Magadi, sub-count of Kajedo County, southwest of Kenya. The sample consisted of 10 females and 11 men aged 18 years and above. The participants were drawn from aside pastoralist communities using preposive and snowball sampling. The interview and focus group data were analyzed thematically, informed by the notes from the observations obtained. Analysis of this study is still ongoing. Results show that participation in disease prioritization is influenced by professional specialization or employment in relevant field, such as veterinary medicine. Local knowledge and understanding of zoonotic diseases is only considered during implementation of interventions by experts despite the willingness of communities to contribute to disease prioritization. Further, although determinants such as gender, socioeconomic status, policy and external aid influence involvement in local community activities, these do not influence participation in disease prioritization. This is because of a strong emphasis on professional training as a requirement to participate in disease prioritization. It was observed that interventions implemented have not adopted a trans-disciplinary one-health approach embedding participatory methods. In conclusion, community participation in this area takes a means to an end perspective where members are used to implement interventions by experts. Local community members are not involved in disease prioritization by local decision makers and experts. This is despite their willingness to participate and their indigenous knowledge and experience in managing zoonotic diseases. As a result, community members feel that important aspects about local context and control strategies are not considered in many interventions as they are not given an opportunity to give feedback and input in what works to inform policy. A trans-disciplinary one-health approach should be implemented embedding participatory methods throughout the process. Thank you so much for listening.