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Month: March 2020

Press Statement: Resolutions of Makueni County Emergency Response Committee

PRESS STATEMENT

RESOLUTIONS OF MAKUENI COUNTY EMERGENCY RESPONSE COMMITTEE

1.Suspend all market days with immediate effect

2.Immediate suspension of night club operation hours; all liquor licensed outlets to operate 5pm-11pm including weekends.

3.All social gatherings such as sporting, leisure, muguka & miraa chewing joints etc are suspended with immediate effect

4.Public transport to observe hygiene – no touting, use hand washing facilities with preferably liquid soap or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers at the stages.

5.Boda boda riders to have hand washing facilities with preferably liquid soap or use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers at the various stages

6.All public places to have hand washing facilities with preferably liquid soap or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers – markets, shops, hotels, supermarkets, malls, places of work, public gyms, etc

7.Minimize gatherings –weddings, religious gathering, trainings, meetings, workshops, AGMs, seminars etc

8.We encourage funeral attendance to be limited to close family members and other relatives.

9.Learning is suspended in all institutions (including ECDEs and CTTIs) from:
Day institutions – Monday 16th
Boarding – Wednesday 18th
Tertiary by Friday 20th

10.Enhance sanitation especially along Mombasa road stop overs with hand washing facilities with preferably liquid soap or use alcohol-based hand sanitizers.

11.Purchase of masks necessary when prescribed by healthcare workers

12.Emphasis on hand washing facilities with preferably liquid soap as well as alcohol-based hand sanitizers at our homes.

13.Hospital visits to be limited to designated visitors.

14.Community engagement on education and sanitation will be provided

15.Continuous communication through media to be undertaken – updates, health talks.

16.Traders to observe consumer protection by maintaining fair prices.

17.Members of public are encouraged to avoid panic buying of consumer goods.

County preparedness:

a. Continuous training of health workers

b. Identification and preparation of isolation centers in all sub counties

c. Routine health talks will be undertaken

d. Continuous disease surveillance

e. Availability of personal protective equipment in our health facilities.

f. Availability of adequate supplies to handle all illnesses

g. Availability of psychosocial support services

h. Training of community health volunteers to deal with the pandemic

i. Availability of county operational command centre with ambulance services and dedicated hotline: 0790 777 756.

Makueni gets World Bank nod on Credit Worthiness

Makueni county has been given a through pass by the World Bank on credit worthiness through a rating survey conducted by Global Credit Rating Agency, under the County Credit-Worthiness Initiative.

The County Credit Worthiness Initiative is a collaboration between the National Treasury, Commission on Revenue Allocation, Capital Markets Authority and County Governments Supported by the World Bank Group.

The initiative aims at building the capacity of county governments to access long-term development financing from the capital markets to fund capital intensive infrastructure growth, which would otherwise have take years to achieve through the equitable revenue share financing.

Makueni alongside Bungoma and Kisumu were chosen for piloting of this initiative after agreeing to institute strengthened financial management systems, fiscal structures that support responsible borrowing and institutionalized framework that can oversee sustainable county government borrowing.

The three had their Credit Ratings unveiled in public by CRA on Wednesday in Nairobi, in an event attended by respective governors; Kivutha Kibwana, Wycliffe Wangamati, Anyang’ Nyong’o and Officials from World Bank, National Treasury and CMA.

By Financial Year 2020/2021, the counties will be able to access credit financing from the capital markets through County bonds, Infrastructure bonds, Corporate bonds or securitization of receivables such as own source revenue.

Some of the Key funding sources for this financing plan include pension schemes, insurance companies, SACCOs, diaspora and Collective Investment Schemes.

Makueni’s Tourism Sector set for Revenue Boom

The tourism sector in Makueni is set for a major overhaul with plans a foot to make the county a hub of tourist attraction, and the sector a major revenue generator for both county and the country.

With support from the National Museums of Kenya, the county government is embarking on an ambitious exercise of documentation, conservation, management, promotion and restoration of heritage sites in the county.

The management of heritage will include the construction of heritage centers and museums, the re-landscaping of open cultural and natural sites, construction of botanical gardens, organizing cultural festivals and fairs, the identification, documentation, mapping and gazettement of important heritage sites.

Some of the important heritage sites for conservation and restoration include religious sites such as Kalamba, threatened biodiversity areas such as Chyulu and Nzaui hills among others.

This revolutionary raft of measures was announced Wednesday by Governor Kivutha Kibwana and the National Museums of Kenya Director General Mzalendo Kibunjia when they signed a partnership agreement in Nairobi.

In the same breath, governor Kibwana signed a working relationship with Global Communities-Kenya, a Non-Governmental Organization, to revamp the cooperative movement in Makueni.

The parties to this agreement will co-operate to:

Develop county co-operative policy and legislation through a participatory approach; 

Build the capacity of the cooperatives officials; to offer business advisory services to the cooperatives including trainings on their needs; and

Design interventions that will enhance access to markets, finance, technical knowledge and relevant information.

The deal was also signed by USAID/ Cooperative Leadership, Engagement, Advocacy and research(CLEAR) program- Chief of Party Kristin Wilcox Feldman in Nairobi.

The County cooperative movement has grown to 230 registered cooperative societies since 2016 which cover activities such as produce marketing, savings and credit SACCOs and housing.

Co-operative Bank seeks Makueni Partnership in Support of Devolution

The Co-operative Bank of Kenya wants to support devolution locally by supporting Makueni towards realizing its general development agenda to the residents.

This was disclosed by the Bank’s Head of Government and Public Sector Banking Silvance Nono on Tuesday when he led a team of representatives from the bank for a breakfast meeting with Governor Kivutha Kibwana to discuss possible areas of partnership.

According to Nono, the bank fits into the key aspirations of Makueni county in the following areas;

Agriculture and Food Security; to provide wide range agribusiness support for major valued horticultural crops in the county;

Water and Irrigation; to support the various initiatives for water harvesting as well as revenue collection for Wote Water and Sewerage Company;

Youth and women support; to provide banking solutions geared towards economic empowerment;

Quality and Accessible Health services; to provide revenue collection solutions for the county’s health facilities;

Quality Education; through provision of cash management services for the ECDE centers and TVETs; and

Economic Empowerment; through integration of co-operatives to encourage cohesion and self-reliance through pooled savings and training on financial awareness through the Co-op Bank Consultancy arm.

The Bank is supporting the county in the scholarships program and has so far sponsored 30 bright students from needy backgrounds in the County.

A technical team drawn from the parties will meet next week to finalise on the specific joint framework of working together.