REMARKS BY H.E. GOVERNOR OF MAKUENI COUNTY PROF. KIVUTHA KIBWANA DURING COUNTY PEOPLES’ FORUM ON CIDP 2018-2022 AND FY 2018/19 BUDGET HELD ON 23RD MARCH 2018 AT ATC KWA KATHOKA
Ladies and Gentlemen.
Today marks the end of a long and very important journey which as County Government we committed ourselves to. It is a process through which we set out to let our people guide their development.
The process of CIDP and FY 2018/19 budget public participation started on 13th December 2017 in all 3,612 villages in the County. The process progressed to the sub-ward where several clusters met and discussed the views and suggestions from their villages; project appraisal at sub ward levels with sub-ward development committees and technical officers was undertaken before meeting at the ward level for validation.
The process also benefitted from various thematic groups including Nairobi and Mombasa Diaspora, teachers’ fraternity, non-state actors, children, the elderly, People Living with HIV (PLHIV), People with Disability (PWD), faith based representatives and all the elected and nominated leaders in our county.
Today we gather here to validate as County our CIDP 2018-2022 and FY 2018/2019 budget.
The Constitution of Kenya 2010 and the supportive legal framework on devolution have placed strong emphasis on public participation, transparency and accountability as a means of improving efficiency, equity and inclusiveness of Government and service delivery.
As a Government, we are witnessing an increasing desire of our people to participate in their own development. This process witnessed the highest turn up since 2013 of close to 120,000 people out of our population of about 1 million. This is a good indicator that our people now understand their role in development. I am informed that in some sub wards, the people turned out in large numbers, close to 600, this is extremely commendable.
The extensive participation process provides confidence and legitimacy on our second generation CIDP priorities. The CIDP process brings together the needs and aspirations of our people, the challenges and priority interventions.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Backward Review
As we gather here today, we need to take stock of the development outcomes from our previous implementation process. What achievements did we have? How did our people benefit from the interventions? What success stories do we have? What challenges did we face? What lessons did we learn? This reflection will be critical for each department as we envision the future. There is no future without reflection of the past journey.
During the last cycle (2013-2017) we faced many challenges. These ranged from time taken to learn and structure devolution, the political wrangles that delayed our development and the high expectation from the citizens. We have now overcome those trying moments that enhanced our resilience and refined our purpose to deliver to our citizens.
Re-orienting our development
The theme of our CIDP 2018-2022 is Improved Household Income for Sustainable Livelihoods. The county will focus on attaining development through four key areas namely; reliable potable water for domestic use, irrigation, food security and agricultural commercialization, youth, women and PWD economic empowerment, universal health care for all.
During the period 2018-2022, the Government will invest in the following enablers to ensure realization and achievement of the key result areas:
Energy, Infrastructure and ICT
Institutional strengthening, capacity development and citizen engagement
Ladies and Gentlemen
Our Vision 2025 aims at social transformation and wealth creation. Our CIDP is aligned to the Makueni Vision 2025, Medium Term Plan III of the Kenya Vision 2030 and Sustainable Development Goals. The County is set to benefit from such integrated development planning as it offers an opportunity for coordinated development from all development actors and thus improved effectiveness and efficiency in resource use. The Government seeks to adopt result oriented development as opposed to project led development.
Ladies and Gentlemen
Overtime, the government has been viewed as the sole driver of development in any community, however other sectors and players including non-state actors, private sector and the religious organizations have continually played a great role in service delivery. As a Government we appreciate the critical role played by non-state actors including; project formulation and prioritization; enhancing participatory planning and budgeting; resource mobilization to bridge the funding gap by the government and advocacy and public awareness creation. All partners in the development have been consulted and we will continue to work closely, including our brothers and sisters in the diaspora, both Kenya and abroad to ensure we have the best for our county.
Mainstreaming Cross Cutting Issues in County Development
In the process of preparing the CIDP, we ensured that all cross cutting issues namely; climate change, environment, youth, gender, disability, disaster risk management and HIV have been mainstreamed.
Effects of climate change have huge impact on our development which is largely dependent on sectors such as agriculture, water and livestock. It is against this background that urgent climate action is required to ensure sustainable development is realized. Our county is vulnerable and measures geared on enhancing the adaptive capacity of our people have been prioritized.
The CIDP is responsive to youth, gender and disability issues. We are committed to ensure economic and social empowerment of the vulnerable amongst us. Specifically, the youth (18-35 years) in the county constitute 24% of the total population. We are committed to ensuring that our programmes and initiatives empower the youths as well as providing opportunities to earn income.
Key Institutions to facilitate development
During the plan period, the Government will establish and also strengthen key institutions to facilitate effective service delivery. These include; County Audit Committee, County Budget and Economic Forum, an office of Ombudsman, County Attorney, donor and development partners liaison unit and County Irrigation Board. Office of the Ombudsman is a confidential, neutral and independent source of information and assistance to anyone affected by the government operations and activities. The Office will help in addressing the problems and complaints which do not involve litigation, arbitration, or mediation.
County Attorney will help enhance the effectiveness of the legal and policy framework in the county. Specifically this will facilitate preparation of policies required to execute all devolved functions. The County Irrigation Board will be tasked to manage the irrigation infrastructure while the Donor Liaison unit will serve as an interface between the Government and development partners in matters of development. Additionally, our Government will strengthen the Service Delivery Unit in an effort to ensure development results.
It is worth noting that most of economic decisions such as where to work, how much to save and invest, and what education to acquire are most frequently made at the family level. Stable families are a very important ingredient to our development as county. The government will invest in programmes that will endeavour to strengthen families and family leadership.
The government will ensure that all projects began in 2013-2017 CIDP, that had been phased or inadequately funded, are completed and launched for their intended purpose. Further we will endeavour to ensure that going forward project appraisals are done prior to preparation of budget estimates to ensure adequate funding of programmes in CIDP 2018-2022.
Enhancing Service Delivery Mechanism
We are committed to ensure that collectively we deliver the aspirations of all every citizen. The CIDP will forms the basis of resource allocation and performance management. Recently we launched the county performance management system through which everyone knows what needs to be achieved and what is required of them and when.
Every staff member is under performance contract for senior staff and performance appraisal for all staff below directors. The process will culminate today with the performance contract signing ceremony with the people of Makueni. We all have roles and responsibilities in delivering prosperity in our county, as duty bearers, the government officials have a higher responsibility on accountability. The citizens equally as right holders have a critical role to play in delivering our dream and working together we shall deliver.
Ladies and Gentlemen
I am greatly honored to witness all these in our county, especially when our people are recognized and involved in shaping the destiny of our County. As we draw towards 2022 when my mandate will expire I will leave office with the confidence that the people of Makueni Mbaa Makueni own their government. I take this opportunity to thank you all for taking part in our County development agenda which will shape our undertaking for the next five years. We fully acknowledge and value your participation and contribution in the development of our great county.
I thank you.
