Cabinet Secretary for Environment, Climate Change and Forestry Soipan Tuya together with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr on Friday led hundreds of residents in a tree growing exercise at Kiu Wetland in Makindu Ward.
The exercise precedes celebration of the National Tree Growing Day to be hosted in the site and graced by President William Ruto on Monday 13th. 100,000 tree seedlings will be planted at the wetland on the same day.
Makueni targets to grow 344 million trees by 2032, with 34 million grown each year. In the current October-November-December rain season, the county will grow 10 million trees.
Wote Green Park came alive on the 9th and 10th of November 2023, as the heart of Makueni County hosted a two-day music and cultural extravaganza. The festival, not only a celebration of artistic expression but was a crucial platform for selecting the best teams to represent the county in the upcoming Kenya Music and Cultural Festival.
The park buzzed with energy as talented performers showcased traditional dances, melodious tunes, and captivating cultural displays. Spectators were treated to a mixture of vibrant costumes, rhythmic beats, and heartwarming performances that reflected the rich cultural tapestry of Makueni.
The festival served as a rigorous selection ground, with various teams competing for the honor of representing Makueni County in the prestigious Kenya Music and Cultural Festival at Wote Technical Training Institute from 1st to 9th December.
After two days of intense competition, the winners were crowned and celebrated. The triumphant teams were not only awarded with medals but also received certificates of merit, recognizing their exceptional talent and commitment to preserving and showcasing Makueni’s cultural heritage.
The County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Industry, Marketing, Culture and Tourism Eng. Peter Mumo expressed the Departmental delight at the high level of talent on display and emphasized the importance of such events in fostering cultural pride and unity within the community. The winning teams are now gearing up to represent Makueni County on the national stage, where they will compete with teams from across Kenya in the spirit of friendship and cultural exchange.
The first cohort of 60 trainees has reported at ATC Kwa Kathoka ready to commence a 6-month agricultural training program fully sponsored by the County Government of Makueni in partnership with Anglican Development Services Kenya (ADS- Kenya) and Micro Enterprises Support Programme Trust (MESPT).
The training initiative is geared towards creating economic opportunities and enhancing employability for youth and Women of productive age through green skills and capacity development along the horticulture, dairy and poultry value chains.
The trainees underwent orientation on Wednesday, an exercise which was presided over by Agriculture Executive Committee Member Joyce Mutua and flanked by her Education counterpart Elizabeth Muli.
Soon, the Makueni Agriculture Training Centre at Kwa Kathoka will be an autonomous entity once the proposed bill is passed by the Assembly. The center will provide specialized and high-quality agricultural education, training, and related services, and will play a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural knowledge and skills among the community, potentially contributing to local agricultural development.
During the orientation exercise, Mutua announced that the school will be officially inaugurated next week on 14th November 2023 by Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr alongside other senior officials from the National Government.
Makueni County Government through the department of Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism under the leadership of Chief Officer Dr. Jossylyne Mutua participated in the Marketing Society of Kenya Marketers Conference on 26th & 27th October 2023 in Mombasa, an annual event that brought together marketing professionals, industry experts, and thought leaders to exchange knowledge, ideas, and insights on emerging trends and best practices in the field of marketing. In its 3rd Edition, the conference aimed to explore the theme “Harnessing disruptive innovation for marketing success” with a focus on how best to leverage disruptive innovation to drive successful marketing campaigns and achieve business growth. The conference covered a wide range of subjects, including customer centric marketing, data analytics, Mobile marketing, customer experience, digital marketing, and more. This conference came at a time that the Department of Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism is in the process of restructuring the county marketing unit to facilitate efficient delivery of their roles. The marketing officers had the opportunity to meet marketing experts that could help address some of organization’s biggest marketing challenges in the trade, production and hospitality sectors and effectively learned, connected and shared experiences with fellow marketers.
The Objectives of the MSK Marketers Conference
Gain valuable knowledge, best practices, and actionable insights that can be applied to improve marketing of Makueni produce, products and services.
To familiarize the department with latest trends, technologies, and strategies in the market for effective delivery of the county marketing roles.
Meet and network with like-minded professionals, share experiences, exchange ideas and build relationships both regional and international.
Access to resources, tools, and latest technology solutions to enhance the participants marketing initiatives.
Over 27,000 farmers from Makueni have benefitted from certified seeds distributed by the County Government of Makueni for planting during the October-December rain season 2023.Beneficiaries were drawn from 11 wards that had prioritized planting seeds during the budgeting process for the 2023/24 financial year.
The Wards include Thange, Ivingoni -Nzambani, Mtito -Andei, Makindu,Nguumo, Kasikeu, Mbitini, Muvau -Kikumini, Kako- Waia, Kalawa and Mbooni.The initiative received a boost from the Kenya Red Cross Society which donated seeds to vulnerable households in Kibwezi –East Sub-county.
The Seed varieties distributed were Green grams, Maize, Beans, Cowpeas and assorted fodder and pasture seeds. With onset of the rains, Agriculture Executive Joyce Mutua has called on farmers to plant different seed varieties in order to achieve food security at the household levels.
Plug Mtaani is a competition of entrepreneurial ideas by young people.
Faith Mumo Timona, a fruits value addition industrialist based at Kwa Kathoka is the overall winner of Makueni County Plug Mtaani Youth Business Competition. The winner will represent Makueni at the national level competition and stand a chance to win Sh 10M to nurture her vision. She was awarded a sum of Sh 50,000 by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr engages with Taxi and Pool Table Players in Wote. He promised an exciting Pool Tournament to be organized by Wote Municipality.
The Department of Lands, Urban Planning & Development, Environment, and Climate Change in Makueni has officially launched a Climate Change Stakeholders coalition with the aim of orchestrating concerted efforts in climate change adaptation.
This coalition unites various stakeholders, including government entities, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), community-based organizations (CBOs), Academia, and environmental advocates. Its primary objective is to facilitate collaboration among these entities and formulate a comprehensive strategy for coordinated climate change adaptation within the county.
The inaugural event took place on Tuesday in Wote, presided over by Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili. It was graced by the presence of County Executive Committee Member Sonia Nzilani, Chief Officer Japheth Kiminza, and members of the Makueni Climate Change Fund Management Board.
Hundreds of Makueni residents on Monday thronged to various designated venues across the county for public participation for the Makueni draft Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) Bill.
The purpose of the public participation is to gather input and feedback from residents in order to shape the legal framework for the establishment and operation of the ATC Centre. This ensures that the centre aligns with the needs and aspirations of the local community.
The Centre aims to provide specialized and high-quality agricultural education, training, and related services, and will play a pivotal role in enhancing agricultural knowledge and skills among the community, potentially contributing to local agricultural development.
The two-day exercise organized at the ward level aimed to involve as many community members as possible. This approach helps ensure that a diverse range of perspectives is taken into account.The consultation process is being spearheaded by top county officials led by the County Agriculture Executive Joyce Mutua.
Hosted by the Deputy Governor and the line department of ICT, Education, and Internship, Hon. Eliud Owalo, launched a state-of-the-art digital lab equipped with 100 computers at the aforementioned County Technical Training Institute (CTTI) in Mbooni Sub-county.
This is among the 112 T.V.ETs across the country to have such a lab that is open to students, and the youth.
Its main roles include providing a digital platform where members of the community are trained on computer skills, are empowered towards digital entrepreneurship, and can access government e-services.
The available online jobs include Data Entry, Transcription, Research, and Technical jobs which are the highest paid. To ward off scammers, the international digital organization provides a particular code per country through which one can ascertain the legitimacy of the available job and employment thereof.
Hon. Owalo added that many more will be set up in all wards across the country through a partnership with members of the parliament in a bid to implement the Bottom-up Economic Transformation Agenda.
While unpacking the basket of digital goodies for the county the C.S. mentioned more markets in the country will follow the Wote market route of free Wi-Fi hotspot connectivity among the 25,000 the National government is set to connect. While riding on that initiative the Deputy Governor was quick to request for connectivity of Emali and Mukuyuni new urban markets.
Mrs. Mulili also appealed for an extension of the Fiber Optic Cable to the Governor’s office building and other parts of the town as an undertaking of the 1000km the C.S talked of.
The Cabinet Secretary stressed the government’s agenda of digitizing government services to ensure a digital economy and efficiency in service delivery.Makueni County government through the Department of ICT, Education, and Internship has been at the forefront of executing this initiative by digitizing key government services. An endeavor that has seen last financial year’s revenue grow from a previous 189 to 891 million.
Jitume Program Lands at David Mbiti Wambuli CTTI of Tulimani Ward.
Jitume Program Lands at David Mbiti Wambuli CTTI of Tulimani Ward.
