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PUBLIC NOTICES

MAKUENI COUNTY PARTNERS WITH STRATHMORE UNIVERSITY TO CAPACITY BUILD MSMES

The Government of Makueni County envisions to transform the livelihoods of her citizens by increasing their household incomes. The Department of Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism through the Directorate of Trade, Marketing and Industry, has partnered with Kenya Small Business Development Centers (SBDCs) to support in the growth and scalability  of businesses in Kibwezi West and East Sub counties. 

Key reasons why Government of Makueni County through Directorate of Trade, Marketing and Industry is supporting MSMEs :

  • Micro Small and Medium Enterprises are key enablers of economic growth and development in Makueni county.
  • MSMEs represent a core pillar of the economy and play a significant role in innovation, wealth, and employment creation. 
  • So there is need to create an entrepreneurship culture where traders are constantly reminded of good business practices in order to increase their sales and profitability.  
  • The directorate has been supporting MSMEs to access to better markets through programmes such as exhibitions, development of ICT portal, Soko Makueni, formation of member associations, value addition, and development of infrastructure among others. 

The MSMEs were trained on financial planning, marketing needs, financing needs, book keeping and on use of technology in addition to:

  • Empowering the MSMEs toward self-reliance 
  • Provide market outlets, product development, training and market information to the producers.
  • Enable participants to understand simple book keeping methods in relation to their business size. 
  • Ensure the participants understand the advantages of keeping track of business transactions.
  • To instill skill and confidence in managing business finances. 
  • Sensitizing on the use of technology in business operations
  • Spotting a business opportunity
  • Market penetration.
  • It was agreed that a better enabling environment be provided for revitalizing the MSMEs to improve economic growth through addressing inefficiencies in the County licensing regime, formalizing unlicensed MSMEs, and strengthening institutional management capacities
  • It was agreed that advisory, training and consultancy activities to promote business, leadership, and governance capacities sessions be conducted in all sub-counties.

DELIVERING THE PROMISE MATTERS ECDE.

Today at AIC Kathonzweni Comprehensive School Over 700 ECDE Learners and 91 ECDE teachers participated in the County Kenya Music Festivals.

The Government of Makueni County is fully committed to delivering on the 3 Pillars of ECDE education.

1. Growth and Development of our Learners. Nurturing Talents and provision of ECDE Learning Materials

2. ⁠Human Resources- Converting our ECDE teachers to PNP

3. ⁠ECDE Infrastructure- Ensuring the ECDE Class is the best delivered as per National Government Pre- Primary standards and guidelines.

MAKUENI COUNTY REFERRAL HOSPITAL SWITCHES TO SOLAR POWER

By June 2024, Makueni County Referral Hospital will run on solar energy, guaranteeing patients uninterrupted health services even when there are grid electricity power outages.

Energy Chief Officer Eng. Naomi Nthambi on Tuesday launched the solar installation project at the referral hospital hoping to harness 200 Kilowatts at peak working capacity and supplement the grid electricity which is at times unreliable due to outages.

Naomi says this project will save the hospital an estimated Ksh 7 million in annual electricity expenditures.

This project will play a crucial role in reducing carbon emissions while promoting a greener future through investment in renewable energy infrastructure. Successful implementation will also pave way for replication in other county strategic installations.

LAST MILE WATER CONNECTIONS TRANSFORM LIVES IN MAKUENI’S RURAL HOUSEHOLDS

Waking up at 3 am to queue for a spot to fetch water from the available distant water points has for long been a way of life for many residents in Makueni. Donkeys carrying heavy loads of water jerricans has been a common feature one can’t miss even in Wote town, the county’s capital.

Water vendors have thrived, often charging exorbitant prices for a 20-litre jerrican of water, especially during the dry season when many of the rivers have run dry.  In some parts of the county, a 20-litre jerrican goes for Shs 50 during the dry season.

To remedy this situation, Makueni’s Department of Water and Sanitation has crafted an ambitious water development plan, extending water connections from sources to households, known as the “last mile” connections.

One such area benefiting from these connections is Nthangu location, where residents have experienced real transformation. Pastor Thomas Wambua, a resident with a connection in his compound explains that his family can now engage in productive farming, unlike before, where he had to spend Shs 1,000 weekly to pump water from Kamunyii stream using a petrol-powered pump. His church has also registered a higher turn up on Sundays.

The County Government constructed a sand dam and underground sump at the confluence of Kaiti and Kamunyii rivers and installed a mega solar power system to distribute water to more than 10,000 residents and four schools in Kiatine and Nthangu villages. 100 households have obtained last-mile connections by paying a small fee, Pastor Wambua among them.

In Mavindini Ward, Burnice Mutiso is optimistic that completion of Ngosini Concrete Dam will transform her life. “When this dam fills up, I intent to venture into horticultural farming full time. This area is highly productive, but water has been the biggest challenge,” she says. Burnice hawks food to workers at the dam construction site. The dam borders her family land.

The department has prioritized last-mile connections as a solution to the long distances people walk to the nearest water point.

This will be achieved through investment in a main centralized water infrastructure project in each ward (One Ward, One Main Water project); and the use of digital metering and payment in the 30 water projects.  

Further, the water supply expansion initiative will involve desilting, expanding and rehabilitation of earth dams; construction of sand dams with sumps; drilling and equipping of boreholes, construction and/ or extension of 160 Kms of pipeline with water kiosks.

In the Financial Year 2024/25, the Department of Water and Sanitation plans to connect at least 1,000 households per ward to clean and safe water by implementing the last mile water infrastructure programme.

This initiative is expected to increase the proportion of rural households accessing piped water from 30% to 50% and urban households from 7,939 in 2022 to 10,920 in 2025.

Currently the department is undertaking massive investments along River Athi to draw, treat and supply water from the river. These include Athi Kalawa water project, Athi Tunguni Water Project, Athi Mavindini Water project.

GOVERNOR MUTULA KILONZO JUNIOR ON FRIDAY ATTENDED THE BURIAL OF MZEE MANG’OKA IN KILUNGU WARD

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Junior on Friday attended the burial of Mzee Mang’oka in Kilungu Ward who is the father of Japheth Mang’oka County ECM in charge of Department of Devolution, County Administration and Emergency Services.

The Governor speaking during the burial encouraged industrial crops farmers in Kaiti and it’s environs to get back to coffee farming as it is a promising crop in the highland regions of the county. He promised coffee farmers a benchmarking tour to enhance their knowledge of the crop as well as reviving the Kithangathini and Kithumani factories.

At the same event, the Acting County Commissioner representative said the National Government through it’s security agencies will make sure that everyone is safe during this holiday season and that the security teams will not go for Christmas.

This assurance comes after a heavy shootout on Friday in Wote town where thieves who broke into several houses during the day were given a chase by the police and managed to abandon their car and flee on foot into a nearby forest.

Douglas Mbilu, The County Assembly speaker, who also attended the burial emphasised on unity of purpose for the County Assembly, County Executive and the Security agencies.