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ICT and Development

10,000 Makueni County residents are set to be empowered with ICT skills by global technology giant, Google.

The Makueni beneficiaries are part of 10 million people Google is equipping with relevant ICT skills in Africa in the next three years.

This plan was revealed on Friday by the country director of Google during a ceremony to commission the training which Google will undertake in collaboration with Makueni County government.

“The 10, 000 people set to be equipped with various ICT skills include the 1,500 people who have already studied basic computer skills under the county government’s Tusomeei Computer Nduani programme,” deputy Govenor Adelina Mwau said while welcoming Google.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana thanked Google for choosing Makueni as the first county where the program will start.

“The online space creates tremendous job opportunities which can be tapped to address youth unemployment. We shall work with Google to make Makueni a model county on ICT enabled job opportunities”, Kibwana said.

Makueni – Kisii peer learning

A team of technical officials from Kisii County has visited Makueni County offices in a mission to learn on various aspects of accounting, procurement, health and project implementation terming Makueni as a good study ground on how devolution has worked.

​“Peer learning missions should be a dialogue for all to learn and critique one another. This way, devolution will make meaning to the people.” Said Adelina Mwau, Deputy Governor on Tuesday while receiving the Kisii delegation.

The objectives of the visit were; to study the best practices on internal financial control; procurement systems; payment system; documentation; financial reporting system; health matters and project implementation among many other areas of mutual interest.

Makueni has been hailed for implementing an efficient accounting system that has enabled the county to attain a clean audit nod by the Auditor General.

  • August 14, 2019 in News

Kibwana rally residents to support the Census exercise – 2019

Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana has pleaded with all the residents to make themselves available and share the required information as demanded of them by the census team during the forthcoming 2019 Kenya population and housing census. The exercise will commence on 24th – 25th August.  

Speaking during a courtesy call, the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics delegation head Mr. Stephen Kakungu assured the governor of a continuous monitoring of the collected data through dash boards, comprehensive in-built checks and post enumeration exercise to ensure that the information collected is complete, accurate and factual. For the first time, the census data will be captured electronically through a mobile telephony device.

Kibwana also held talks with Korea International Cooperation Agency (KOICA) Kenyan alumni that is in Makueni to share knowledge on rural development with a focus on a people centered sustainable development.

“People are responsible for their own development, leaders are just but facilitators. If Kenya wants to experience a radical socio-economic change, then she must borrow from other countries that have made it such as Korea.” Said Kibwana in a meeting held at his office on Tuesday.

KOICA concerns itself with poverty reduction, empowering women in farming, quality and inclusive educational initiatives and youth empowerment.

  • August 13, 2019 in News

Hope for beauty queens behind the bars

Makueni deputy governor Adelina Mwau has encouraged inmates at Makueni women remand prison not to lose hope but rather realise their full potential in life while behind the bars.

Mwau was addressing the inmates during a beauty pageant event organised by both her office and Humanity Rescue Foundation on Saturday 10th.

She pointed out on the need for a mentorship and counselling programme to help the inmates in actualizing their purpose of living even way after their service at prison.

“Jails in Kenya should not be a scare, it should be another home where inmates get holistic rehabilitation before being re-intergrated back to the community.” Mwau said.

HRF, prisoner’s program manager Ms. Mwende said that their organization seeks to enhance psycho-social development of inmates as well as provide equal opportunity for full participation in the society.

Ms. Wayua was crowned as the Miss. Makueni Women Prison – 2019 after competing with 7 other colleagues.

  • August 12, 2019 in News

Gender executive sworn in amidst high cases of gender based violence

Philip Wambua Ndambuki has been sworn in as the new Executive Committee Member for Gender, Children, Culture and Social Services in the County Government of Makueni.

Ndambuki holds a bachelor’s degree in Arts from the University of Nairobi and several other professional certificates. Prior to his appointment, Wambua had served in the County Rapid Results Initiative and the Service Delivery Unit for close to 2 years.

In a swearing ceremony graced by Makueni County governor Kivutha Kibwana and his deputy Adelina Mwau on Thursday, Ndambuki committed to work hard towards transforming the lives of Makueni residents.

“I feel privileged to join this team of top achievers. I know that it isn’t a walk in the park but I’m determined to elevate the lifestyle of the people of Makueni with cooperation of everyone,” said Ndambuki.

His appointment comes at a time when the county is experiencing a high number of reported gender based related cases.

Mwau, who has been in the forefront towards fighting GBV has asked the new CEC to ensure that the boy child is not left out in protection against sexual harassment and other social injustices.

Increased power connection to boost county business fortunes

Makueni electricity grid is expected to rise to 70% from the current 30% following a discussion to increase power connection to several institutions in the county.

In a discussion held on Thursday between Makueni County Governor Kivutha Kibwana, her deputy Adelina Mwau and a delegation from the energy and KPLC sectors led by Dr. Fredrick Kasomi, it was agreed that several institutions and facilities without power will be connected.

Facilities targeted for connection include health centres, County Technical Training Institutes, market centres, primary and secondary schools, street lighting, and boreholes of at least 10 Cubic Meter-capacity 

Densification of power supply across the county will stimulate a desired economic growth as well as create job opportunities by allowing more day-and-night time stretches to conduct businesses.

The teams agreed to complete data mapping, costing and designs within a period of one month.

Embrace open contracting to curb corruption-Kibwana

Makueni governor Kivutha Kibwana has asked institutions to adopt open contracting as one of the ways to curb rampant corruption in the country.

Kibwana said that open contracting ensures transparency and accountability in all government’s processes hence locking out any chance for corruption and ill practices.

“There are other ways of dealing with corruption apart from jailing and that is open contracting. Let us get into transparency systems,” Kibwana said.

Kibwana was speaking on Friday when he hosted the Hivos Foundation director Edwin Huizing during an open contracting debriefing on Makueni’s progress.

The county in partnership with Hivos embarked on open contracting in 2018, a move to ensure transparency, accountability and integrity in government processes.

In 2018/2019 financial year, the county government used open procurement for tendering processes.

Hivos East Africa regional director Mendi Njonjo disclosed that Makueni is the second world wide documented case to ever use observers during the evaluation stage in open contracting.

The county invited observers to take part in the evaluation stage during the construction of Wote green park and purchase of reconstitution line for Kalamba Fruit Processing plant tenders.

Makueni together with Hivos are in the final stages to launch the open contracting data standards, a platform that will enable the masses to interact with all the tendering information online.

Makueni deal a blow to non-communicable diseases

Makueni has yet again registered another first on its healthcare provision following signing of a multilateral agreement to combat non-communicable diseases in the county.

The county government in collaboration with Sandoz Pharmaceutical, Medtronic Inc and Management Sciences for Health, a non-profit corporation shall deliver an end-to-end non-communicable disease care model to achieve improved patient outcomes.

The 2-year partnership deal was arrived at on Friday by Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana, Cluster Head Norvatis Social Business Dr. Nathan Mulure, Medtronics Regional health head Africa, Chemutai Langat and Management Sciences for Health Country project director Ndinda Kusu at the governor’s office in Wote.

The care model will include; awareness and education on the chronic diseases; screening for the diseases in the community; capacity building and health system strengthening through training of community healthcare workers and volunteers; diagnosis through existing, identified health facilities and provision of quality and affordable medications.

Governor Kibwana welcomed the deal saying it was going to strengthen the County’s Community Health Strategy as well as revolutionize the Universal Health Care program.

Makueni CEC for Health Dr. Mulwa who witnessed the signing of the partnership disclosed that the County is the first to sign the deal. The model is expected to be rolled out in Nyeri and Kakamega counties.

The County Health Chief Officer, Dr. Patrick Musyoki said, “This partnership has come at the right time. NCDs are silent killers causing 55% of deaths in hospitals yet most of the African countries have not taken up the challenge.”

Controller of Budget lauds Makueni for clean audit report

Controller of Budget Agnes Odhiambo on Tuesday lauded Makueni for earning unqualified audit report for 2018/2019 financial year.

Odhiambo was awestruck that Makueni was among the two counties in the entire country saying it is not a mean achievement to qualify for a clean bill.

“I thought it was almost impossible to get unqualified audit report after getting disappointments from many counties. I never imagined it could happen. I must congratulate Makueni County, that is excellent,” observed Odhiambo.

Makueni and Nyandarua earned clean audit reports in the just closed financial year.

She further urged other counties to benchmark in Makueni instead of travelling abroad for the same since the county has made enviable strides in delivering services to the citizenry, especially in health and agriculture sectors.

The controller of budget is in Makueni to assess the milestones made by the county in a bid to perform her roles of oversight and advisory as stipulated in the constitution.

Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana while hosting her and her team in Wote, congratulated her office.

Odhiambo and her team visited various development projects among them the Mother and Child Hospital, Kwambila and Katili earth dams and the Makueni fruit processing plant.

  • July 23, 2019 in News

Community-led development projects attract millions of World Bank fund

Over 160 community-led development initiatives in Makueni have received Sh 33 million funding by World Bank through the National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP).

The overarching goal of the project is to increase agricultural productivity and profitability of targeted communities in selected counties, and in the event of an eligible crisis or emergency, to provide immediate and effective response.

The small-scale farmers, drawn from 20 wards across the county,​ have ventured into tomato, mango, indigenous chicken and green grams value chains and were competitively identified through vetting of proposals which had to meet set eligibility criteria.

According to the Agriculture CEC Lawrence Nzunga, priority was placed on micro-projects that have the potential to increase agricultural productivity and incomes, value addition, and links to markets; and sustain natural resources base and returns to targeted communities.

Makueni County Governor Kivutha Kibwana, while presenting the cheques to the successful groups at ATC Kwakathoka on Friday, urged farmers to focus on community-led agriculture as the surest way of enhancing food security at household level.

“I urge farmers in all the wards to venture into community-led agriculture that will help us achieve food security and save us from poverty and “Mwolyo” menace,” said Kibwana.

Kibwana asked the farmers to use the funds prudently towards implementing the proposed projects and ensure that they are successful enough to attract more funding.

A County Technical Advisory Committee is already in place to provide the monitoring and evaluation component while Community-Driven Development Committees will assist the communities to plan, implement and manage the interventions.

By the end of the project in 2021, 570 project proposals will have been funded to benefit 17,100 small holder farmers across the county.