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Year: 2018

Prof. Kibwana kickstarts Sh. 300-million Road Upgrade Project

Governor Kivutha Kibwana on Wednesday flagged off Sh 300 million roads upgrading works to repair feeder roads damaged by heavy rains across the County.

The works involve heavy grading and spot murraming of 60 roads, two in each of the county’s 30 wards.

Speaking at Kalanzoni market center, Kilome constituency, where the exercise was conducted, Prof Kibwana said the county experienced pervasive damage of roads when floods hit, saying his administration will work extra hard to make the damaged roads motorable again.

The governor said the county government will partner with members of parliament to do more roads through co-funding with MPs dedicating a substantial amount from the Constituency Development kitty to this cause.

The county boss praised Kilome MP Eng.Thaddeus Nzambia, who has on various occasions fuelled the county graders and dozers to help in repair of dams and roads within the constituency.

Nzambia, who was present during the commissioning of Kwatuva-Ngiini-Kalanzoni-Kivandini-Mbondoni-Yaitha road said he would work closely with the governor to expedite development and uplift the standard of living.

The constituency is one of those hard hit by floods with many of its roads and several dams washed away.

Roads executive Eng.Sebastian Kyoni has reaffirmed that the grading exercise for all the roads will be complete in the next two or three months.

Deputy governor Adelina Mwau said opening up of the constituency will boost its economic productivity due to its proximity to the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and Nairobi City.

  • May 31, 2018 in News

We need concerted efforts to address menstrual hygiene management – Nazi

Makueni County First Lady Nazi Kivutha has applauded the national government for recently releasing the sanitary towels consignments to the counties.

Nazi observed that other several organisations were addressing the various aspects of menstrual hygiene management but urged that there was need for concerted efforts in a bid to empower the girl child for holistic development.

She said: “Allow me to congratulate the national government through the ministry of Public Services, Youth and Gender Affairs for recently releasing sanitary towels consignment to the counties. With countless organisations joining us we need concerted efforts to address this issue as a whole.”

She however noted that significant barriers persist and continue to be major challenges to women and girls during their menstruation especially from low income households.

Nazi also observed that in most rural areas across the country, girls miss schools for up to 5 days every month and that 65% of them cannot afford sanitary towels.

“Significant barriers continue to be major challenges facing women and girls during their menstruation. Most of them come from low income households and cannot afford sanitary towels,” she said.

Nazi spoke on Monday during the Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrations in Kisumu, a national platform that brought together non-profits, government agencies, the private sector, the media and individuals to promote menstrual hygiene management.

She further stated that young girls engage in sexual activities which results to increased adolescent pregnancies and early marriages as most of them turn to transactional sex in a bid to acquire the sanitary towels.

In Makueni county, similar celebrations were held at Kiambani day and Boarding primary school where officials from the county government, the national government and non-state actors distributed sanitary towels to school going girls.

Kibwana urges Uhuru to be firm in war against graft

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta’s firm position in the war against corruption and urged him on saying the vice must be eradicated.
The governor said the President has personally maintained high integrity in public life and urged him not to relent in the war against the vice.
Prof Kibwana known for strong governance credentials urged the President not to spare efforts to crush corrupt networks in his government warning that they may derail efforts he has made to develop the country and water down the good legacy he was developing.
 “The President of this country has not been mentioned in any incident of corruption. We are also happy he has promised to strictly fight the vice,”Prof Kibwana said.
President Kenyatta has already ordered thorough investigations into a number of recent scandals and asked relevant agencies to prosecute masterminds.
Prof Kibwana also said that ethnicity is a major threat to the country’s economy saying that it must be dealt with in the same veil as corruption.
“Tribalism has become widespread in the country we need to ask God for forgiveness for corruption and tribalism,”Prof Kibwana stated.
He said that billions tapped by corrupt networks would help stabilize the economy if Kenya achieved a corruption free status.
“Theft of public resources has become so rampant in our country,we must combine forces to deal with corrupt people in our midst,” the governor said.
The Governor was speaking on Sunday at Makueni Boys High School when he joined Salvation Army faithfuls during the Kenya East Territorial self-denial ingathering conducted by territorial Commander Commissioner Henry Nyagah.
Commissioner Nyagah lauded Prof Kibwana and his government for involving the church in his leadership saying the church was one of the key stakeholders in matters development.
“I would like to appreciate Governor Kibwana and his government for working closely with the church. I am happy to say that I have met with his deputy Adelina Mwau and some of the Makueni Ward representatives in church functions. I know they love the church,” Nyagah stated.
Other top government officials present were Executive Committee Members Bob Kisyula (Water),Lawrence Nzunga (Agriculture) and Eng Sebastian Kyoni (Transport).
  • May 28, 2018 in News

Clean Water for Wote

Wote town is now almost water secure after the commissioning of two water treatment plants for the town, one constructed by the Government of Makueni County and the other by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).

The two plants, commissioned on Wednesday  by Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Gullet, have an output capacity of 90 cubic meters of water per hour, but with an installed pumping capacity of 70 cubic meters per hour.

Water executive committee member Robert Kisyula has said the installation will be able to pump for 20 hours a day, guaranteeing Wote residents 1,400 cubic meters of clean water.

With Mwaani bore hole producing 400 cubic meters per day, the total water supply to Wote town is currently 1,800 cubic meters, he says.

Mr. Gullet has announced that the Kenya Red Cross Society will donate its plant to the county government even though it was supposed to be a temporary measure to address the water crisis which hit Wote town after breaching of Kamunyolo dam and collapse of the Kaiti sump roof slab.

Governor Kibwana said his administrastion has besides the above projects put in place other short term and long term measures to ensure sustained supply of sufficient and potable water for Wote town in line with the county’s Vision 2025 and CIDP 2018-2022.

The short term measures include repair and reconstruction of Kaiti sand dam with collection galleries and increasing height of the weir by one meter. This, he said, will give more than 1400m³/day.

Other measures include piping water from Kitikyumu borehole (with a yield of 20M³/hr) to Makueni boys tanks and distributed to wote town. This source is expected to inject 400m³/day into the supply network. The project shall be implemented within 30 days from commencement.

The long-term measures according to Governor Kibwana include:  Completion of Kaiti/Kamunyii water project which is a sump funded by the national government through TANATHI. This is expected to produce at least 800m³ per day.

Reconstruction of Kamunyolo earth dam plus the treatment works and extra clear water tank of 400m³.

Construction of Kiia Nzou mega dam along Kaiti river in Kee Ward, which will be expected to produce over 2,000M³/day and flow by gravity to Wote town. Design and fundraising for the same is being done jointly with Kenya Red Cross Society with a proposed budget of Ksh1.0B. The same dam will also provide water for the four Wards of Kaiti Subcounty namely Kee, Ilima, Kilungu and Ukia.

The Thwake multipurpose dam once constructed is expected to supply more than 2000M³/day of water per day to Wote town.

Governor Kibwana said supply to Wote town and its environs will hit close to 7000M3/day, which will be able to meet the projected growth and water demand by 2025 and beyond once all these projects are up and running.

Kibwana Tips County Lawmakers on Public Participation and Civic Education

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has urged counties to invest in civic education and public participation as a way of facilitating mindset change and enabling the people to take charge of devolution.

Prof Kibwana said poverty, dependency syndrome and community pulse cannot be overcome without the change of mindsets.

He told the County Assembly Members’ Forum in Mombasa on Thursday that engaging the people through public participation was an easy way of helping grow confidence in the management of devolved resources.

“Counties need to invest in civic education, community capacity building and mindset change programs,” said Prof Kibwana.

He also said that legislators need to devolve power, authority and mandate to community members so that they can plan and decide on the issues that affect them.

Prof Kibwana stated: “County governments have to relinquish to the development committees powers to design priorities and even to execute what can be done at community level.”

He noted that there was need for the county governments to come up with capacity building plans for the development committees saying that the capacities become the basis upon which poverty eradication measures and techniques are discussed.

Prof Kibwana said that public participation is not just about gatherings in town halls and therefore should be handled systematically to provide the real needs and priorities for the communities.

“Communities have the solutions for their problems. They lack the capacity and opportunities to plan for themselves and defend what clearly belong to them,” said the governor.

He further added: “Let us devolve the powers of participation to the communities and watch the poser of self-governance taking over this country through our counties.”

More than 2,000 members of the county assemblies and senators are participating in the forum which started on Monday.

Wote Water Supply Restored after Flooding Crisis

The water supply to Wote town has been restored courtesy of a partnership between the county government and the Kenya Red Cross Society.

The town was thrown into a crisis after Kaiti sump and Kamunyolo dam, the two major sources of water to the town were swept away and damaged by raging floods.

The county government put up an emergency request to KRCS, which moved with speed and installed water pumping and purification equipment besides the county government’s treatment plant, whose sump was damaged.

According to Water and irrigation Chief Officer Martin Kitavi, the two installations are now able to supply 1,400 cubic meters of water to the distribution system, pumped within 20 hours a day.

Kitavi said Mwaani bore hole, another water source, is able to supply 400 cubic meters, bringing the total output to the town’s water supply system to 1,800 cubic meters daily.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana toured the project on Monday to inspect its progress before its official commissioning by KRCS Secretary General Abbas Gullet on Wednesday.

Promoting Education

At least 6,928 students from Makueni in various institutions of learning have received bursary cheques in support of their education fees.

The cheques, worth Sh 50 million, were issued by Governor Kivutha Kibwana at ATC Kwa Kathoka for distribution to beneficiaries by ward representatives.

Those who benefited include:-

  • 4,318 secondary school and County Technical Training Institute students.
  • 870 college students,
  • 1,037 university students and
  • 703 students living with disabilities.

Kibwana puts Corrupt Government Officials on Notice as he meets Contractors

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has told contractors working on county projects that his government will not tolerate any form of corruption and shoddy jobs.

He said the county will deal ruthlessly with staff found engaging in malpractices and urged businessmen awarded contracts to report any extortion attempts by county staff directly to his office.

The governor was speaking at Acacia Hotel in Wote during a meeting with major contractors awarded tenders by the department of roads, transport and infrastructure.

“We will not tolerate incidences of corruption and blackmail. I urge you to report cases of corruption to my office directly. In the past we have been ruthless with corrupt people and even now if we get them we will eject them from the system,”Prof Kibwana said.

He said that they should also report cases of intentional missing files adding that the county government will facilitate contractors to do their jobs and pick their money without any blackmail as long as they have done a good job.

The governor however indicated that the county government has had challenges dealing with some contractors in the past adding that creating a forum where the parties could meet and engage would help address emerging issues.

Said Prof Kibwana:“We have had challenges working with some contractors. It is important to create a platform where we can talk together so that we can understand each other.”

County Secretary Paul Wasanga urged the contractors to employ locals in wards where the contracts are being undertaken as part of the government’s initiative to ensure part of the money goes back to the people.
“When you go to the ground please give some of the jobs to the locals. That way we will get part of the money back to the people.When you do that they will even protect your equipment, ”the CS said.

Roads Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni who was present warned contractors against sub-letting contracts awarded to them without seeking clearance from the county government.

“When we request full compliance with PMC we urge you to cooperate with us and please don’t compromise the supervision. Where you are required to undertake some tests please comply,” he said.

Finance ECM Mary Kimanzi said the Makueni government has had no problem paying contractors explaining that where paperwork has been properly done payments have been processed in good time.

She however said that drip dropping cash flow and a cumbersome technology has made the process more bureaucratic but added that everything has always been done to ensure payments are processed.

“Because we always work with budget we don’t have a problem paying on time. It is the process that sometimes takes a bit longer,” Ms Kimanzi said

  • May 18, 2018 in News

Ksh. 110 million Boost for Makueni Fruit Processing Project

Makueni county government has received a grant of Sh 110 million from the European Union to support the ongoing fruit processing project.

The money will be injected into the Kalamba fruit processing project and used to initiate the expansion of the plant to enable it turn into a multi-processor and to create a packaging line.

The grant is part of Sh 3 billion to be allocated to 15 counties for Local Economic Development projects.

The targeted projects include construction of markets, abattoirs, fruit and milk processing factories, food storage, dairy, seed production and multiplication and fish processing.

Last year Makueni launched a fruit  and milk processing plants at Kalamba and Kikima respectively.

Other counties expected to benefit from the funds include Kwale, Taita-Taveta, Tana River, Samburu, West Pokot, Laikipia, among others.

Makueni governor Professor Kivutha Kibwana witnessed the signing of LED-IDEAS proposal by County Secretary Paul Wasanga and Devolution PS Nelson Marwa.

Makueni is the first county to comply with the European Union conditions for the grant.

Some of the compliance requirements include high standards of fruit production, good agricultural practices and devolved decision making through committees.

Counties seeking the grant are also required to observe strict anti-corruption tendencies and good governance in their operations.

They are also required to come up with projects that transform livelihoods economically.

Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa, European Union representative Vincent De Boer graced the event.

“This marks the beginning of the actual implementation of the IDEAS (Instruments for devolution advise and support) a programme whose financing agreement was signed between the Government of Kenya  and the European Union,” Mr Boer said

Kibwana roots for Large scale Pulses Production at the Colombo Conference

Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has said the government of Makueni is encouraging residents to grow pulses in order to double the production of the crop and help improve livelihoods.

The governor said that the growing global market should trigger an increased interest in the crop adding that the entire East African region has embarked on an ambitious endeavour to double production of pulses within the next six years.

“By doubling yields, our farmers can earn twice as much for the same amount of land, thus significantly improving their livelihoods,”Prof Kibwana told delegates from across the globe attending the Colombo conference.

Prof Kibwana spoke at the Global Pulse Confederation Convention in Colombo-Sirlanka where he is representing Kenya and East Africa.

He said: “Agriculture in Eastern Africa today, and indeed my own county of Makueni, Kenya, is largely based on cereal crops, which are sold at lower prices than pulses.”

Pulses the governor said is playing an important part in the economies of the three Eastern African communities in terms of providing food security and increasing incomes through higher-value crops.

Said Prof Kibwana:“Many farmers in my county are now opting to grow pulses as they are fast maturing, taking 70-120 days while commonly grown cereals like maize take three to four months depending on the variety.”

Prof Kibwana further said that the other major advantage is that pulses are less affected by afflation, are high in protein and more resilient to drought.

According to the governor, Makueni County and the entire East African region have the potential to significantly expand production and trade of other pulses such as chickpeas, dolichos (faba beans), cowpeas and pinto beans.

He noted that the region has traditionally produced and exported kidney beans and white pea beans, pigeon peas and mung beans.

The governor is accompanied by the Executive Committee Members for Agriculture, Livestock Development and Fisheries Lawrence Nzunga and Trade, Industry, Cooperative and Tourism Rosemary Maundu.