Month: November 2018
Kibwana hosts Polish Envoy for Bilateral Trade Engagement
Governor Kivutha Kibwana on Monday hosted at Wote the Polish ambassador to Kenya Jacek Bazanski for a bilateral trade engagement with special focus on cooperative movement development.
The ambassador said his major reason for the Makueni visit was to establish a platform for Polish companies to interact with their Kenyan /Makueni counterparts for shared economic partnerships.
He said Makueni has entrenched a transparent leadership which is attracting investors, and Poland would seek to work with the county for the benefit of both the county government and his country.
Bazanski was accompanied by the Nairobi Bureau Chief of the Polish Investment and Trade Agency Michael Mazurewicz.
The two, accompanied by governor Kibwana and department of trade officials held talks with representatives of cooperators across Makueni.
Kibwana welcomed any partnership with Poland investors that would help grow the County cooperative movement to become a key socio-economic driver to the county and Country at large.
“We are desirous of establishing mutually beneficial relations with your country in the areas of agro-processing, water harvesting/conservation and road infrastructure development so that we can easily embrace technology from your country,” Kibwana told the envoy.
Kibwana said since the inception of his government, the cooperative movement has grown from 83 cooperatives to 207, with a total membership of 50,866, share capital of Kenya shillings 264,002,126, turnover of Kenya shillings 72,862,269 and members’ savings of Kenya shillings 202,389,214.
The Polish envoy agreed to co-facilitate a trip to Poland for the Makueni cooperators’ representatives to learn from best practices on cooperative movement participation in the country’s development.
Poland has one of the most developed cooperative movement which has catapulted it to the 6th biggest economy in Europe.
Makueni inks deal with Centre for Health Solutions for healthcare promotion
Makueni County has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Centre for Health Solutions Kenya (CHS-Kenya) to advance its quality of healthcare promotion.
The MoU, signed by governor Kivutha Kibwana and CHS-Kenya Chief Executive Officer Paul Wekesa on Monday seeks to:
Support in implementation and expansion of high quality HIV Care, prevention and treatment through training and capacity building activities, provision of commodities and other relevant assistance;
Provide technical advice to policy makers and to those in county health institutions that will deliver the services through the MoH;
Establish collaborative framework to institutionalize the use of evidence informed interventions through activities such as baseline assessments, program reviews and operations research;
Enhance support in monitoring activities of the National Tuberculosis Leprosy and Lung Disease (NTLD) Program through support, supervision and quarterly meetings.
The deal, according to governor Kibwana, is in line with the county government’s commitment to advance appropriate and rapid responses to the County’s HIV/AIDS epidemic and to health promotion in general.
The deal will cover 64 health facilities across the county, among them the sub county hospitals and the Makueni County Referral hospital.
Ukambani governors meet to jump-start Regional Economic Bloc
Governors Kivutha Kibwana, Alfred Mutua and Charity Ngilu on Friday met in Machakos for deliberations to jump-start the South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc (SEKEB).
The meeting, chaired by Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki, was also attended by the assembly speakers, majority and minority leaders from the three counties, Kamba Council of Elders and representatives of the clergy.
The bloc, the leaders said, will create a platform for joint development investments and resource mobilization for wealth creation to rollback the poverty ravaging the region.
“We have decided to provide direction to our people to create wealth and pull out of fear, poverty, want and backwardness that is often associated with our region.” said governor Ngilu.
“We have numerous shared resources which if well utilized can make a lasting solution to this region,” she said further.
Governor Kibwana termed SEKEB as a unique outfit because while similar blocs by other counties comprise mainly of governors, SEKEB incorporates elders, church leaders, professionals and all interests across the different social and economic sectors.
He said the outfit could be used as an alternative disputes resolution mechanism incase of leadership wrangles as has been witnessed in Makueni in the first cycle of devolution and currently in Machakos.
Governor Mutua said the bloc would provide a platform for all leaders from the region to work towards a common goal irrespective of the regional geopolitics.
Members of parliament, senators and members of county assembly will also be brought on board for inclusivity.