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DR. SONIA NZILANI, THE COUNTY EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE MEMBER FOR TRADE, INDUSTRY, MARKETING, CULTURE, AND TOURISM INTERACTS WITH TRADERS AT KIKIMA, WINZENI, TUVILANI, AND MUKAATINI MARKETS IN MBOONI SUB COUNTY.

Dr. Sonia Nzilani, the County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Industry, Marketing, Culture, and Tourism interacts with traders at Kikima, Winzeni, Tuvilani, and Mukaatini markets in Mbooni Sub County, Thursday, on trading services concerns.

Issues addressed included sanitation and trading space. Dr Sonia reassured the traders of the department’s dedication to enhance and entrepreneurship in the county. Dr. Sonia encouraged them to adopt greening to improve cultural attraction sites, community health and climate change resilience.

Additionally, she inspected the designated site for the Mbooni West dumping site.

96TH EDITION OF THE KENYA MUSIC AND CULTURAL FESTIVAL (KMCF) ENDS ON A HIGH NOTE

The 96th edition of the Kenya Music and Cultural Festival (KMCF) ended on a high note with the gala in which the creme de la creme of the festival entertained an audience eager to sample the best music and dance, elocution and drama teams from the festival.

Mr. Herman Shambi, Secretary Administration, State Department of Culture, the Arts and Heritage was the chief guest during the gala and closing ceremony of the 9 day festival that started on 1st December 2023 under the theme, ‘Our culture: towards national cohesion, healing and peace’.

The Chairperson of the KMCF, Prof. Emily Akuno, appreciated the generosity and hospitality extend to the festival by the Government of Makueni County. She noted that Makueni had set very high standards for other counties that will seek to host the festival.

Kakamega county emerged the top county in the festival followed by Uasin Gishu the second and Mombasa county in position three.

County First Ladies from Lamu, Nyamira and Wajir led by their host, H.E. Anita Mutula, attended the festival on 8th December 2023 and enjoyed Zilizopendwa tunes from the rest of Africa among other performances. The County First Ladies gave assurance of their support to the festival.


MAKUENI PARTICIPATES IN REGIONAL TOURISM EXPO, AIMING FOR GLOBAL TOURISM MAP

In a dynamic display of tourism richness and potential, Makueni County took center stage in the just concluded East Africa Regional Expo held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC), Nairobi, from 20th to 22nd November 2023.

The County Government, driven by the Tourism Directorate, played a pivotal role by setting up a vibrant booth. This showcased a diverse array of locally crafted products, enticing potential tourists with a glimpse of the region’s unique offerings. Visitors were treated to a preview, where the county’s hospitality facilities and alluring attraction sites were explained in detail.

With an ambitious goal to position Makueni County as a must-visit tourist destination, this strategic participation aimed to secure a spot on both the regional and global tourism maps. The County Government envisions not only promoting its cultural heritage but also fostering economic growth, ultimately enhancing the livelihoods of its citizens.

Wote, 30th August 2023-Makueni’s indigenous knowledge patented for profits

Days after the National Museum of Kenya through the National Product Initiative (NPI) in partnership with the Government of Makueni County rolled out the Indigenous Knowledge Documentation and Digitization (IK DODI) pilot project, the team has today handed over the project report to H.E Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr during a courtesy call.
The one-month documentation exercise brought together the Akamba clans Governing Council of Elders, Young Champions of Culture and the community members who volunteered information as informants.
The project was successful and the Young Champions of Culture were able to collect assets that the County Government plans to package and valorise through taking them to the market and ensure the community benefits.
The governor was taken through the Makueni County Indigenous Knowledge Innovation Bank which will be the quiver from which the community shall store their cultural knowledge in two categories of Cultural Expression and Genetic Resource.

Let’s get back to our indigenous foods, Governor Mutula tells locals

Today, H.E Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr joined thousands of Makueni locals during the celebrations of the Akamba rich heritage majorly on indigenous foods.
The Governor encouraged a return to the consumption of the Akamba traditional food as a way of:
i.Appreciating the diversity and variety of our indigenous foods
and production processes;
ii. Creating an awareness on the rich nutritional value and healthy-living support capacity that our indigenous foods offer;
iii. Promote the uptake in production of indigenous food crops as a climate adaptation measure;
iv. Present an avenue for stakeholders in the indigenous food value chain to market and promote our foods.
and Demonstrating the commercial value of our indigenous foods;
He insisted that the Akamba culture must continue hence a need to look at ways of teaching the young people how to protect their culture.
 
 

Partnerships For Shared Prosperity

His Excellency the Governor on Friday evening hosted Richard Moller and Nicholas Njogu of Tsavo Trust who paid courtesy call on him at his office.
They further held a meeting with officials drawn from various county departments to evaluate projects which Tsavo Trust has undertaken in collaboration with the County Government and the local community.
Tsavo Trust through Kamungi Conservancy has collaborated with the county government in rolling out various community projects across the sectors of water, healthcare, agriculture, education, climate action, tourism, wildlife conservation and conflict deterrence.
His Excellency the Governor gave his commitment towards upscaling the partnership.
 
 
 
 

Makueni County Prepares for the Roll Out of Indigenous Knowledge Documentation and Digitization Project.

A delegation from the State Department of Culture and Heritage, Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage led by Dr. Evans Taracha, the National Coordinator of the Natural Products Industry (NPI) Initiative and leader of the indigenous knowledge documentation and digitization project, met with the Makueni County project implementation team led by Peter Mumo Nyamai, the County Executive Committee Member for Trade, Industry, Marketing, Culture and Tourism, to plan for the roll out of the project.
The overall goal of the project is to advance protection, promotion and valorization (value addition) of Kenya’s indigenous knowledge and associated assets. The project will support the County government in meeting its obligations in the Protection of Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Expressions Act, 2016 by setting up the County digital repository of traditional knowledge and cultural expressions and associated ICT equipment and building capacity of the County government in the documentation and digitization of indigenous knowledge.
The pilot project that is implemented in Makueni County under the Department of Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism is spearheaded by the Ministry of Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage through the Natural Products Industry (NPI) Initiative, a Kenya Vision 2030 flagship project. It is envisaged that the project will stimulate a new growth area of the economy that harnesses indigenous knowledge and associated assets.

Makueni Tourism Circuit Launched.

As a way of ensuring Makueni County becomes a major tourist destination centre, the County on Wednesday launched Makueni Tourism Circuit.
The County is an impressive tourist destination that rewards travelers with the utmost safari experiences in not only wilderness but also the unique cultures of the Angulia people (a sub-tribe of the Akamba people), caves, Chyullu hills, Masamukye hot springs, Makongo viewpoint, among other wonders.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr during the launch said that the County had all the required infrastructures such as Standard Gauge Railway, the upcoming Makindu airstrip, and the Mombasa Nairobi highway that opens the region to the outside world.
Wanderlust Diaries Ltd
Ministry of Tourism And Wildlife – Kenya
Tour Operators Society Of Kenya – TOSK

Makueni Human-Wildlife conflict claimants to receive compensation

Makueni Human-Wildlife conflict claimants to receive compensation from March, CS Malonza says
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Friday met Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza to fast track pending compensation claims on human-wildlife conflict cases in Makueni.
The CS disclosed that plans are underway to settle the backlog of claims received by June 2022. She said: “We will pay the pending claims. I have already approved the budget and by march we should be starting the payments to claimants of loss of live and property cases.”
However, the Tourism CS decried of limited resources but her ministry is pushing for establishment of conservation fund as one of the ways of supplementing budget from the exchequer. Besides settling of the unpaid claims, Malonza said they were exploring ways to end human-wildlife conflict.
Malonza further announced that the government has already committed funds to electric fence the remaining section of Kitui Game Reserve bordering Masongaleni at River Athi. “I am happy that Makueni is already doing 93 Kilometres. We commit to do the remaining section that remains exposed at the kitui Game reserve,” said Malonza.
Governor Mutula sought for a collaboration with the ministry to assist the county in areas of tourism promotion, wildlife conservation and culture. Technical officers from the two teams are working together to establish specific areas of partnership ahead of official signing of their engagement.