Partnerships

Makueni has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hivos international to adopt Open contracting and tame corruption in the county’s procurement processes.

Hivos is a humanitarian organization advocating for social justice through creative solutions to persistent global problems.

The MoU was signed by Makueni Governor Prof  Kivutha Kibwana, who was accompanied by County Secretary Paul Wasanga and Hivos East African regional director Ms Mendi Njonjo at Wote, Makueni,  Monday evening.

The MoU establishes a collaborative framework between the two organizations with a view to developing a viable programme taking a multifaceted approach in improving the quality of procurement processes for transparency and eradication of corruption.

Hivos, as part of the MoU,  will assist the county government in capacity building on the open contracting approaches, principles and the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) for designated officers and departments as well as Makueni Project Management Committees.

Ms Njonjo said this approach will assist Makueni in detecting fraud and corruption risks in public procurement while also entrenching fairer competition and a level playing ground for businesses.

Prof Kibwana hailed the open contracting system of procurement as the solution to the endemic corruption plaguing the country. He said the President and the national government should see it as a necessity to adopt this system as an antidote to corruption.

“There should be no secrecy on the expenditure of public money. Public procurement should be like an open shop where all that you sell is on open display,” said Prof Kibwana.

The governor lamented that some people were starting to feel threatened by the open and transparent governance his administration has adopted but said such people will have no place in Makueni.

“Some people think we’re too open that it is starting to threaten their dealings. It is time we all stood by President Uhuru Kenyatta and in one accord declare that Kenya and corruption cannot live together, one has to give way to the other, and that is corruption giving way to Kenya,” he said.

Prof Kibwana said the open contracting  procurement system will outlive his administration in post 2022 as it would be presented to the assembly for ratification and anyone trying to reverse it would face the wrath of the public.

“As the governor, I will be more unrelenting in overseeing operationalisation of this MoU because it will bear fruits even long after my exit. No one will be able to undo the gains then,” Prof Kibwana said.

Polish ambassador to Kenya Jacek Bażański has said his country is ready to partner with county governments to support specific programs tailored to benefit the people economically.

Mr Bażański who was hosted in Makueni County on Friday by Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana said his country is ready to partner with the county to support various development projects directly and when necessary.

“We want a concrete relationship with your county in various sectors including the  housing sector among others,”Mr Bażański said in Wote Town when he called on the governor.

The diplomat said that Poland is a major producer of fruits and therefore could work well with Makueni County to develop the local fruit farming industry.

Said the ambassador:”Poland is a major fruits producer .We have lots of apples but unfortunately we don’t do mangoes.”

Prof Kibwana said that his county is willing to cooperate with Poland in any partnership deal that would support pro-people projects.

He said the county was particularly interested in deals that can support youth empowerment.

“We are in the process of establishing our own version of a youth service to be known as Makueni County Youth Service  which will be run by young people themselves so as to create  a hub for opportunities for young people in the county,”Prof Kibwana said.

He regretted that though the NYS idea was noble it has been derailed by corrupt networks taking advantage of an institution that could be used to make good use of extra energy in the country’s young people.

The governor said the Makueni Concept of a youth service will be an improvement of the National Youth Service currently dogged with corruption.

He said the service will be used to seek opportunities for over 350,000 young people in the county that will include business deals among others.

Nominated MP Silvia Kasanga welcomed Polond’s interest in working with counties directly saying that the peripheral governments that have displayed high levels of intergrity and transparency in management of public resources like Makueni,  deserve direct  donor attention.

Makueni MP Daniel Maanzo who was also present at the event said he will support initiatives by the Polish government to provide  support to the county.

“This is a good relationship and we will support any form of cooperation meant to spur economic development in our county,”Mr Maanzo said.

Makueni Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau on Wednesday lauded various donor organizations for supporting infrastructural development in Makueni schools when reached for support.

Mwau said many schools in the county have received support from donors to improve classrooms.

The DG was speaking when she visited Yikisemi primary school where she was joined by a US based organization, sponsoring the school.

The Osceola arts Youth Orchestra programme director Ms Rachael Nganga applauded the County Government of Makueni for putting up a school at Yikisemei, saying that it had been given a true facelift.

“I found children in grass thatched classrooms when I first visited this school in 2010, At that time I had little to offer but over time I learnt while in the US that the county government had given the school a facelift,”Rachael said.

Rachael stated that her organization is ready to help the school put up more classrooms at Yikisemei considering that the population has increased tremendously from the time she last visited.

“We wish to have a proposal from either the school or the county government, requesting for classrooms or dormitories so that we see where to chip in,” she said.

She said that they have already put up four classrooms at Kawelu primary school, few meters away from Yikisemei.

Mwau appreciated the donors and called on similar charity organizations to come out in large numbers and help the society.

She cautioned parents to be watchful to ensure the little children and growing girls were not attacked by rapists who were on rampage in the area.

“We as parents need to watch out on our kids, if their innocence is stolen at this tender age, life will never be the same again,” She said.

Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Simon Chelugui has announced plans by the national government through his ministry to partner with county governments to address the effects of floods.

Speaking on Friday when he toured Makueni to assess the damage caused by the floods, Chelugui said a consolidated report of all affected counties will be tabled to the president for fast mobilization of resources to remedy the floods disaster.

The CS, together with his host, Governor Kivutha Kibwana toured Kamunyolo dam which supplies the bulk of water to Wote residents which breached following heavy rains. They also toured Kamunyii sand dam that was affected.

Chelugui described the destruction as massive adding that his ministry is on a red alert for any emerging critical needs occasioned by the disaster especially water crises, medical supplies and other non-food requirements.

Kibwana said the situation in Makueni is dire, with 83 dams affected where 25 of those have totally breached and need reconstruction.

He said hundreds of residents have completely lost their livelihoods after their farms along Athi River were washed away.

According to a report on the magnitude of the disaster that Kibwana presented to the CS, 18 people from Makueni have lost their lives while a third of Kiaoni, a market center at the border of Kitui and Makueni along the Kibwezi-Kitui road was washed.