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47 Governors set to converge in Makueni for Bench-marking

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana is set to host all the 46 governors in Wote for a peer learning conference to study the county’s successful public participation approach.

Prof Kibwana said the forum will bring together all governors and top county government officials from across the country to compare notes on various success stories including the public participation approach adopted by his government.

“We are happy that many counties are coming to Makueni to benchmark. This is very positive. We believe that each county has a story to tell about devolution and that is why we are opening our doors to host this momentous forum,”Prof Kibwana said.

He further said that the Makueni County’s participatory approach has given the people the power over public funded projects.

The idea he said was to ensure the locals own the projects and to widen the supervisory net with the people watching over those responsible for the delivery of various government projects.

He stated that it is through the public participation and the people’s involvement that the county has been able to roll out major projects.

“We are very conscious when people praise us for the achievements. But we must not become proud thinking that we have done it. All that is happening in Makueni is because of the glory of God,” the governor said.

Prof Kibwana noted that the approach has been used to develop annual budgets and the County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs).

“This year through the approach upto 120,000 people participated in the making of our 2018-2022 CIDP,”he said.

He said that Makueni County also has a lot to learn from other counties lauding Kisumu for the public service organization modelled along the national government system pioneered by former Head of Public Service Francis Muthaura.

“Meru is on top when it comes to the creation of various parastatals to undertake certain roles for the government. And we will be in Meru next month to learn a few things from their success stories, while Kwale’s structure of ECDE system is the best. It is good we now have a  maarifa center at the CoG from where people can access information on what is happening in the other counties,”Prof Kibwana said.

County Finance Executive Committee Member Mary Kimanzi said that a committee has been set to work on the conference adding that it will be modelled along the Universal Health Care Conference hosted by the county in April.

“This is a privilege for us. And it will be the first time all governors are meeting in our county. We will do our best to ensure proper planning,” said Ms Kimanzi.

Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau lauded the planned visit saying county governments’ now have a lot to learn from each other.

She said: “We previously had a lot of bench-marking happening outside the country. We are happy that now we can learn from each other locally.”

County Secretary Paul Wasanga said the county is ready for the event adding that the idea of creating informational convergence has given local institutions an opportunity to access information held by various counties.

  • May 31, 2018 in News

Kibwana calls for Transparency and Accountability in Public Service Delivery

Governor Prof. Kivutha Kibwana has told top county officials that they must subscribe to principles of transparency and accountability in the conduct of business to ensure efficient service delivery.

Prof Kibwana said that public servants are accountable to the citizens for their actions and service delivery adding that it is a great privilege to serve the citizens.

He further said that it was no longer business as usual when it comes to service delivery reminding the officers that he had to fulfill his promises to the citizenry which they together with deputy governor  Adelina Mwau committed  to through signing of the performance contract with the people of Makueni

“We must be accountable in our delivering of services to the people of Makueni. Serving our people is a great privilege,” the governor said.

The governor spoke on Tuesday at Maanzoni Lodge in Machakos where the deputy governor they addressed county executive committee members, chief officers and directors during the Kenya Devolution Support Programme workshop.

Prof. Kibwana further noted that there was need for change of the mindsets of the public servants if transformative results were to be attained.

His sentiments were echoed by Mwau who said that officers must strive to ensure that every minute and shilling spent should be accounted for through results

The DG said: “As public servants, we must be able to accountable of the resources entrusted to us and as such we must strive to ensure that every minute and shilling spent is accounted for.”

The three day workshop is geared towards enhancing public service delivery in the county institutions with focus on public financial management, civic education and public participation, monitoring and evaluation, human resource performance, planning and environment mainstreaming.

  • May 31, 2018 in News

Prof. Kibwana kickstarts Sh. 300-million Road Upgrade Project

Governor Kivutha Kibwana on Wednesday flagged off Sh 300 million roads upgrading works to repair feeder roads damaged by heavy rains across the County.

The works involve heavy grading and spot murraming of 60 roads, two in each of the county’s 30 wards.

Speaking at Kalanzoni market center, Kilome constituency, where the exercise was conducted, Prof Kibwana said the county experienced pervasive damage of roads when floods hit, saying his administration will work extra hard to make the damaged roads motorable again.

The governor said the county government will partner with members of parliament to do more roads through co-funding with MPs dedicating a substantial amount from the Constituency Development kitty to this cause.

The county boss praised Kilome MP Eng.Thaddeus Nzambia, who has on various occasions fuelled the county graders and dozers to help in repair of dams and roads within the constituency.

Nzambia, who was present during the commissioning of Kwatuva-Ngiini-Kalanzoni-Kivandini-Mbondoni-Yaitha road said he would work closely with the governor to expedite development and uplift the standard of living.

The constituency is one of those hard hit by floods with many of its roads and several dams washed away.

Roads executive Eng.Sebastian Kyoni has reaffirmed that the grading exercise for all the roads will be complete in the next two or three months.

Deputy governor Adelina Mwau said opening up of the constituency will boost its economic productivity due to its proximity to the Nairobi-Mombasa highway and Nairobi City.

  • May 31, 2018 in News

We need concerted efforts to address menstrual hygiene management – Nazi

Makueni County First Lady Nazi Kivutha has applauded the national government for recently releasing the sanitary towels consignments to the counties.

Nazi observed that other several organisations were addressing the various aspects of menstrual hygiene management but urged that there was need for concerted efforts in a bid to empower the girl child for holistic development.

She said: “Allow me to congratulate the national government through the ministry of Public Services, Youth and Gender Affairs for recently releasing sanitary towels consignment to the counties. With countless organisations joining us we need concerted efforts to address this issue as a whole.”

She however noted that significant barriers persist and continue to be major challenges to women and girls during their menstruation especially from low income households.

Nazi also observed that in most rural areas across the country, girls miss schools for up to 5 days every month and that 65% of them cannot afford sanitary towels.

“Significant barriers continue to be major challenges facing women and girls during their menstruation. Most of them come from low income households and cannot afford sanitary towels,” she said.

Nazi spoke on Monday during the Menstrual Hygiene Day celebrations in Kisumu, a national platform that brought together non-profits, government agencies, the private sector, the media and individuals to promote menstrual hygiene management.

She further stated that young girls engage in sexual activities which results to increased adolescent pregnancies and early marriages as most of them turn to transactional sex in a bid to acquire the sanitary towels.

In Makueni county, similar celebrations were held at Kiambani day and Boarding primary school where officials from the county government, the national government and non-state actors distributed sanitary towels to school going girls.

Kibwana urges Uhuru to be firm in war against graft

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has lauded President Uhuru Kenyatta’s firm position in the war against corruption and urged him on saying the vice must be eradicated.
The governor said the President has personally maintained high integrity in public life and urged him not to relent in the war against the vice.
Prof Kibwana known for strong governance credentials urged the President not to spare efforts to crush corrupt networks in his government warning that they may derail efforts he has made to develop the country and water down the good legacy he was developing.
 “The President of this country has not been mentioned in any incident of corruption. We are also happy he has promised to strictly fight the vice,”Prof Kibwana said.
President Kenyatta has already ordered thorough investigations into a number of recent scandals and asked relevant agencies to prosecute masterminds.
Prof Kibwana also said that ethnicity is a major threat to the country’s economy saying that it must be dealt with in the same veil as corruption.
“Tribalism has become widespread in the country we need to ask God for forgiveness for corruption and tribalism,”Prof Kibwana stated.
He said that billions tapped by corrupt networks would help stabilize the economy if Kenya achieved a corruption free status.
“Theft of public resources has become so rampant in our country,we must combine forces to deal with corrupt people in our midst,” the governor said.
The Governor was speaking on Sunday at Makueni Boys High School when he joined Salvation Army faithfuls during the Kenya East Territorial self-denial ingathering conducted by territorial Commander Commissioner Henry Nyagah.
Commissioner Nyagah lauded Prof Kibwana and his government for involving the church in his leadership saying the church was one of the key stakeholders in matters development.
“I would like to appreciate Governor Kibwana and his government for working closely with the church. I am happy to say that I have met with his deputy Adelina Mwau and some of the Makueni Ward representatives in church functions. I know they love the church,” Nyagah stated.
Other top government officials present were Executive Committee Members Bob Kisyula (Water),Lawrence Nzunga (Agriculture) and Eng Sebastian Kyoni (Transport).
  • May 28, 2018 in News

Clean Water for Wote

Wote town is now almost water secure after the commissioning of two water treatment plants for the town, one constructed by the Government of Makueni County and the other by the Kenya Red Cross Society (KRCS).

The two plants, commissioned on Wednesday  by Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Kenya Red Cross Society Secretary General Abbas Gullet, have an output capacity of 90 cubic meters of water per hour, but with an installed pumping capacity of 70 cubic meters per hour.

Water executive committee member Robert Kisyula has said the installation will be able to pump for 20 hours a day, guaranteeing Wote residents 1,400 cubic meters of clean water.

With Mwaani bore hole producing 400 cubic meters per day, the total water supply to Wote town is currently 1,800 cubic meters, he says.

Mr. Gullet has announced that the Kenya Red Cross Society will donate its plant to the county government even though it was supposed to be a temporary measure to address the water crisis which hit Wote town after breaching of Kamunyolo dam and collapse of the Kaiti sump roof slab.

Governor Kibwana said his administrastion has besides the above projects put in place other short term and long term measures to ensure sustained supply of sufficient and potable water for Wote town in line with the county’s Vision 2025 and CIDP 2018-2022.

The short term measures include repair and reconstruction of Kaiti sand dam with collection galleries and increasing height of the weir by one meter. This, he said, will give more than 1400m³/day.

Other measures include piping water from Kitikyumu borehole (with a yield of 20M³/hr) to Makueni boys tanks and distributed to wote town. This source is expected to inject 400m³/day into the supply network. The project shall be implemented within 30 days from commencement.

The long-term measures according to Governor Kibwana include:  Completion of Kaiti/Kamunyii water project which is a sump funded by the national government through TANATHI. This is expected to produce at least 800m³ per day.

Reconstruction of Kamunyolo earth dam plus the treatment works and extra clear water tank of 400m³.

Construction of Kiia Nzou mega dam along Kaiti river in Kee Ward, which will be expected to produce over 2,000M³/day and flow by gravity to Wote town. Design and fundraising for the same is being done jointly with Kenya Red Cross Society with a proposed budget of Ksh1.0B. The same dam will also provide water for the four Wards of Kaiti Subcounty namely Kee, Ilima, Kilungu and Ukia.

The Thwake multipurpose dam once constructed is expected to supply more than 2000M³/day of water per day to Wote town.

Governor Kibwana said supply to Wote town and its environs will hit close to 7000M3/day, which will be able to meet the projected growth and water demand by 2025 and beyond once all these projects are up and running.

Kibwana Tips County Lawmakers on Public Participation and Civic Education

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has urged counties to invest in civic education and public participation as a way of facilitating mindset change and enabling the people to take charge of devolution.

Prof Kibwana said poverty, dependency syndrome and community pulse cannot be overcome without the change of mindsets.

He told the County Assembly Members’ Forum in Mombasa on Thursday that engaging the people through public participation was an easy way of helping grow confidence in the management of devolved resources.

“Counties need to invest in civic education, community capacity building and mindset change programs,” said Prof Kibwana.

He also said that legislators need to devolve power, authority and mandate to community members so that they can plan and decide on the issues that affect them.

Prof Kibwana stated: “County governments have to relinquish to the development committees powers to design priorities and even to execute what can be done at community level.”

He noted that there was need for the county governments to come up with capacity building plans for the development committees saying that the capacities become the basis upon which poverty eradication measures and techniques are discussed.

Prof Kibwana said that public participation is not just about gatherings in town halls and therefore should be handled systematically to provide the real needs and priorities for the communities.

“Communities have the solutions for their problems. They lack the capacity and opportunities to plan for themselves and defend what clearly belong to them,” said the governor.

He further added: “Let us devolve the powers of participation to the communities and watch the poser of self-governance taking over this country through our counties.”

More than 2,000 members of the county assemblies and senators are participating in the forum which started on Monday.

Kibwana puts Corrupt Government Officials on Notice as he meets Contractors

Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana has told contractors working on county projects that his government will not tolerate any form of corruption and shoddy jobs.

He said the county will deal ruthlessly with staff found engaging in malpractices and urged businessmen awarded contracts to report any extortion attempts by county staff directly to his office.

The governor was speaking at Acacia Hotel in Wote during a meeting with major contractors awarded tenders by the department of roads, transport and infrastructure.

“We will not tolerate incidences of corruption and blackmail. I urge you to report cases of corruption to my office directly. In the past we have been ruthless with corrupt people and even now if we get them we will eject them from the system,”Prof Kibwana said.

He said that they should also report cases of intentional missing files adding that the county government will facilitate contractors to do their jobs and pick their money without any blackmail as long as they have done a good job.

The governor however indicated that the county government has had challenges dealing with some contractors in the past adding that creating a forum where the parties could meet and engage would help address emerging issues.

Said Prof Kibwana:“We have had challenges working with some contractors. It is important to create a platform where we can talk together so that we can understand each other.”

County Secretary Paul Wasanga urged the contractors to employ locals in wards where the contracts are being undertaken as part of the government’s initiative to ensure part of the money goes back to the people.
“When you go to the ground please give some of the jobs to the locals. That way we will get part of the money back to the people.When you do that they will even protect your equipment, ”the CS said.

Roads Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni who was present warned contractors against sub-letting contracts awarded to them without seeking clearance from the county government.

“When we request full compliance with PMC we urge you to cooperate with us and please don’t compromise the supervision. Where you are required to undertake some tests please comply,” he said.

Finance ECM Mary Kimanzi said the Makueni government has had no problem paying contractors explaining that where paperwork has been properly done payments have been processed in good time.

She however said that drip dropping cash flow and a cumbersome technology has made the process more bureaucratic but added that everything has always been done to ensure payments are processed.

“Because we always work with budget we don’t have a problem paying on time. It is the process that sometimes takes a bit longer,” Ms Kimanzi said

  • May 18, 2018 in News

PS warns over Uncontrolled Tree Harvesting as Harsh Climatic Conditions persist

Planning Principal Secretary Dr Julius Muia has warned over irregular harvesting of trees saying it was contributing to harsh environmental conditions currently experienced in Makueni County.

He said the irregular harvests had led to the decreasing woodlots making Ukambani a victim of harsh climatic situations during both rain and sunny seasons.

The PS said that unsustainable harvesting of wood has led to degradation of forests causing the escalation of deforestation, increasing Green House Gas Emissions and land degradation.

He also indicated that water catchment areas are also drying up and timber and charcoal are becoming very expensive.

“We are cutting trees more than we are planting and this has caused several effects like degradation of forests and drying up of water catchment areas,” Dr Muia said.

The PS spoke during the Makueni county afforestation drive at Nduundune primary and secondary schools in Emali.

The Planning PS was accompanied by the county First Lady  Nazi Kivutha,officials from Kenya Forestry Service and  several representatives from  various development partners who also  took part in planting approximately 30,000 trees in the area.

Dr. Muia further indicated that the county is in arid and semi-arid zone of Kenya and proposed the initiation of a sustainable Citizen Centered Afforestation and Conservation Initiative that will encourage every village to have a big tree nursery as well as support watering and caring.

“We all know that Makueni is not favoured by climate therefore it is important for us to innovate an appropriate program that will support afforestation despite the foregoing weather challenges,” said the PS.

Nazi who also took part in the drive called upon everyone and especially pupils to plant trees on annual basis revealing that together with Governor Kivutha Kibwana they had already planted 800 trees in their home during the current wet season.

“I urge all our pupils to treat trees as their pets and plant a tree every year. The governor and I have planted 800 trees this season,” Nazi stated.

Her sentiments were echoed by Makueni County Commissioner Mohammed Maalim who also present at the event saying that together with the county government they had already planted 160,000 trees in the county.

Other County officials who took part in the drive include executive committee members for water and roads, Robert Kisyula and Eng. Sebastian Kyoni respectively and chief officer for natural resources and climate change Mary Mbenge.

Kibwana, Mutua in Handshake to cool off Past Political Differences

Makueni governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana and his Machakos counterpart Dr Alfred Mutua have publicly reconciled their past political differences promising to work together.

The two who spoke during a funds drive  in aid of Shine Star Secondary school in Makindu said they will work together to develop the community calling on other leaders to join them.

Prof Kibwana and Dr Mutua worked for different political groupings in the last General

Elections forcing them to vigorously campaign against each other.

The Makueni governor who is also the chairman of Wiper party was at the forefront campaigning for Nasa in the region while Dr Mutua who is the Maendeleo Chap Chap leader worked for the ruling Jubilee Party.

It was Dr Mutua who twinkled first extending a public handshake to a willing Prof Kibwana during the event at Makindu sending the crowd into cheers.

“I want to ask Governor Kivutha Kibwana to forgive me for any wrongs I might have committed against him and again request him for a handshake as a sign of unity,” Dr Mutua said

The two governors shook hands with Dr Mutua asking for political forgiveness and vowed to forge a purposeful unity for the betterment of locals.

Prof  Kibwana said that he was in agreement with Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka that there was no need for Ukambani leaders to engage in political fights adding that it was time to focus on development.

He further said that as the wiper chairman he had no intentions of blocking Dr Mutua from contesting the presidency in 2022

“As the chairman of Wiper, I am in agreement with our party leader who recently said that we don’t have to fight here at home. I know you are both hunting, we are not blocking anyone,” Prof Kibwana said.

Governor Mutua reiterated that his ambition to contest the presidency in 2022 was on course.

“After 10 years as a governor in Machakos, I will be seeking your support to become President come 2022, just like a student who after form four proceeds to the university,” Dr Mutua said.

  • May 5, 2018 in News