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Urban Planning

Governor Mutula leads swearing of Emali-Sultan Hamud Municipality Board

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Tuesday witnessed the swearing-in of Emali-Sultan Hamud municipality board members, the second municipality in the county besides Wote.
Mutula who spearheaded establishment of the municipality after taking office in August last year termed Emali as the county’s biggest revenue earner from its strategic location along the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and the gateway to Tanzania through the Loitokitok border.
He said his administration is working on promoting Emali as Makueni’s economic hub while Wote town remains as the administrative capital. The municipality has already been approved for Kenya Urban Support Program (KUSP) to improve basic infrastructure.
The board members are:
1. Anne Nduku Muthusi
2. Charles Mutua Musau
3. Dominic Mbevi Matheka
4. Arch. Stanley Mwania Kyalo
5. Anderson Masila Matheka
6. Mary Nduku Muthama
7. Dr. Sonnia Nzilani Musyoka (CEC- Lands and Urban Planning)
8. Jackson Charo Daudi (Chief Officer Lands and Urban Planning)
 
 

Dr. Sonia Nzilani Leads Konza Technopolis Buffer Zone Planning

Makueni’s Executive Committee Member for Lands and Urban Planning Dr. Sonia Nzilani on Thursday chaired a multi-agency technical team sitting in Naivasha to develop an Inter –County Buffer Zone Physical and Land Use Development Plan around the 10 km radius Konza Technopolis buffer area. The buffer area spreads across Makueni, Kajiado and Machakos.
The team comprises of surveyors, physical planners and environmentalists from Makueni, Machakos, Kajiado, Konza Technopolis Development Authority and Ministry of Lands and Urban Planning.
The proposed 10-year plan is intended to align the Technopolis development plan with that of the 10km buffer zone so as to create a symbiotic growth. The plan will also enhance investments attraction as the buffer area complements development at the Technopolis.
Some of the key strategic installations suggested for the buffer area include an Airport, health facilities, light industries, green spaces, water dams, University College (completion of Scott University) among others.
When completed, validated and approved by the three county assemblies, the plan will be implemented by the national government, the three county governments and other development stakeholders as envisioned in the plan.
Makueni’s Devolution CECM Japheth Mang’oka, Lands and Urban Planning CECM Machakos Phillip Kilonzo as well as CEC’s from Kajiado also participated in the event.
 
 
 
 
 

Rehabilitation of Wote Estates Roads Kicks off

The Department of Transport and Infrastructure in Makueni has launched a two-week Estate Roads rehabilitation program in Wote town to ease transportation and open up the areas for business opportunities.
The program entails grading, murraming and compacting of the targeted roads. By end of the two weeks, the department will have graded 29km of road network.
County Executive Committee Member for Transport Sebastian Kyoni flanked by Wote Ward MCA Felix Mateso and Wote Municipality Manager Joseph Katumo flagged off the exercise on Wednesday.
Some of the Estates targeted for opening up include Town area, Shimo, Calosci, Nguumo/Malawi, Kundakindu, Slaughter, Westlands, Kasarani and Bangladesh.
Kyoni said the county government is in talks with Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) for partnership to progressively upgrade the roads to bitumen standards.

In PICTURES: A 3D architectural impression of the proposed Mukuyuni modern mixed use market set to accommodate over 150 traders in the town.

The proposed market, to be implemented by Wote Municipality, will be funded by the World Bank through the Kenya Urban Support Programme. 
 
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior and Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili on Friday received the proposed market design for review during a series of other development meetings at the Council of Governors offices in Nairobi.
 
 
The market design has provision for two floors, a cold room, an hybrid solar system, stalls and shops, a drive-through for road users as well as solid waste management. It will also have solar lighting and a 30,000-liters rain water harvesting tank.
 

Wote Municipality Eyes Massive Investments From SUED Partnership

Wote Municipality is poised for major investment attractions thanks to a partnership with United Kingdom’s sponsored Sustainable Urban Economic Development Programme (SUED).

The Municipality is among 12 others in the country selected through competitive bidding to take part in the 6-year initiative.

The programme entails supporting the 12 municipalities to develop bankable urban investments, improving urban economic planning and business environment reforms through public-private partnerships.

On Friday, Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior, Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili, Wote Municipality Board members held a sequel briefing meeting with SUED implementation team and representatives of the British High Commission at the Council of Governors offices, Nairobi, to finalize the development plan for Wote Municipality.

Agro-processing, trade and investments, fruit processing, waste management among others are some of the partnership areas of interest identified.

On 7th September 2022, Governor Kilonzo Jnr signed the transfer of several functions and attendant resources from county departments to the municipality giving it the required impetus for enhanced growth.

Makindu residents endorse Ziwani township Plan

Makindu residents have endorsed an urban development plan for Ziwani area in the outskirts of Makindu town.

This paves way for approval by the County Executive Committee and the assembly before allocation of plots.

The plan, covering 81 acres of land curved from Kiboko B settlement Scheme and earmarked for a proposed trading centre, was drawn by the County Government’s Lands department following a request by the National Lands Commission.

The residents accredited the plan on Monday during a public participation forum on the same led by governor Kivutha Kibwana and NLC Commissioner Rose Musyoka.

The plan has identified 288 plots for Commercial, residential and office space, while 30 plots have been earmarked for Public utilities among them a school, health facility, cemetery, sporting facility among others.

The latest development will allow plot allottees access title deeds and subsequently development of the area which has been idle and prone to grabbing by land cartels.

Kibwana and the NLC commissioner also ordered for the planning of an earmarked  67 acre trading centre at Ikoyo, between Makindu and Kiboko, which has witnessed incessant controversies by people claiming illegal ownership of part of the public land.

Kibwana in Talks with UN-Habitat over Upgrade Plans for County Towns

Makueni County has initiated talks with the UN-Habitat for a partnership in upgrading the county’s urban settlements.

In a meeting between Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana and the UN-Habitat regional director for Africa Prof Naison Mutizwa-Mangiza at the United Nations headquarters in Nairobi on Friday the two explored different collaborative opportunities through which the partnership would be staged.

Prof Mutizwa and Prof Kibwana agreed that the two institutions would develop a joint framework to address issues of solid waste management, urban settlements upgrading and youth empowerment once a memorandum of understand on the partnership was developed.

Prof Mutizwa indicated that the UN-Habitat is committed to developing one million housing units in Kenya in the next five years, and that Makueni stood a good chance of benefiting from the scheme with the right collaborative framework.

“Our 2016-2036 urban agenda focusses on delivering new, affordable and adequate quality housing in urban places with slums upgrading a key priority. Makueni should take advantage of this,” he said.Prof. Kibwana said his government is conducting a town planning of 120 urban places across the county and will move with speed to develop a partnership agreement with UN-Habitat to upgrade several of them, especially the county capital, Wote.

He cited a stalled housing scheme in Wote, previously initiated by the ministry of public works and housing which he said if fully developed would significantly offset the housing shortages in the county capital.The governor said the County government is willing to adopt the stalled project if there was a proper agreement between his government and the national government.

He said the housing project has suffered extreme vandalism and cannibalism but could be completed and availed for use if the two levels ‎of government agreed o way forward.“A number of civil servants working in Makueni seek housing in Machakos and some even operate from Nairobi for lack of adequate decent housing in Wote.

We will seek to partner with UN-Habitat and the National government to complete the scheme and settle the housing challenge,” he said. Prof Kibwana added that his government will also seek a partnership with the UN body to complete formulation of its spatial plan, develop a youth empowerment one-stop shop and enhance revenue generation in urban places.

On her part, Mwau said the county is ready to work with the UN body to benefit from technical support in various aspects of the areas targeted by the proposed partnership. “We are very keen on this engagement and more so partnership in the area of waste disposal management system and production of solar energy,” she said.

A UN-Habitat delegation is scheduled to visit Makueni on a familiarization tour before finally prioritizing areas of partnership with the county government.