News
MAKUENI COUNTY INVESTS IN EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATION INFRASTRUCTURE
Makueni County continues to strengthen Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) through the construction of state-of-the-art classrooms, aligned with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.’s focus on infrastructure development.
During a tour of the new ECDE classrooms in Tulimani Ward, County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for ICT, Education, and Internship, Elizabeth Muli, called on contractors to fast-track the completion of ongoing projects.
She praised the progress made at Kyooni and Wambuli and urged for continued efforts to meet the county’s educational infrastructure goals.
She emphasized the importance of modern learning environments for boosting school enrollment and providing young students with the best start to their education.
This initiative supports the county’s broader strategy to enhance education facilities across the region.
She was accompanied by Chief Officer, ICT, Education, and Internship, Irene Makau among other departmental officers.
GLOBAL FUND & NASCOP DELEGATION VISITS MAKUENI TO ASSESS PROGRESS ON DISEASE CONTROL
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. on Monday hosted a high-level delegation from the Global Fund, National AIDS & STI Control Program (NASCOP), the National Treasury, Amref, and the Kenya Red Cross.
The team is in Makueni on a week-long tour to evaluate progress in the fight against HIV, tuberculosis (TB), and malaria, assess commodity security in health facilities, and strengthen coordination between the Global Fund, the Kenya Coordinating Mechanism, and the county governments.
The visit comes amid growing uncertainty across Africa following the recent announcement by the U.S. government regarding potential funding cuts for HIV, malaria, and TB programs.
Despite these concerns, Dr. Andrew Mulwa, the head of NASCOP, confirmed that there are adequate stocks of health products and technologies to last the country for 15 months.
Titus Munene from the Global Fund reaffirmed the organization’s commitment to supporting Makueni and announced plans to introduce portable digital mobile X-ray units to enhance TB screening services.
Governor Mutula raised concerns over the increase in new HIV infections in Mbooni Sub-County.
He also noted that TB cases are also on the rise, particularly in bus stop areas within Kilome and Mbooni areas, emphasizing that the introduction of portable X-ray technology will improve early detection and treatment.
During the one week visit, the delegation will tour various health facilities across Makueni and engage with healthcare workers to further strengthen disease control efforts.
MKJ INDOOR GAMES FINALS KICK OFF IN WOTE
The MKJ Indoor Games finals commenced on Friday morning in Wote, featuring competition in pool table, chess, darts, and draughts.
The competition brought together 360 finalists from across the county, with pool table attracting 180 participants and the other three disciplines each featuring 60 finalists.
County Executive Committee Member in charge of Sports, Eng. Sebastian Kyoni, who officially opened the finals, described the event as a strategic step towards diversifying sports in Makueni. This initiative aligns with Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr.’s vision of promoting social inclusion and ensuring no one is left behind.
The event has attracted officials from national sports federations, who are working with the county government to establish a framework for integrating these disciplines into the annual sports calendar. This move will facilitate the organization of tournaments and the identification and development of raw talent for nurturing and potential monetization.
KENYA TOURISM BOARD ENGAGES LOWER EASTERN COUNTIES IN TOURISM PROMOTION
The Kenya Tourism Board (KTB) on Thursday kicked off a two-day county engagement program in Wote, bringing together tourism and culture officers from Makueni, Machakos, Kitui and Nairobi counties.
The initiative aims to identify tourism opportunities and enhance local and international marketing strategies.
Makueni’s Acting CECM for Trade, Marketing, Industry, Culture and Tourism, Nicholas Nzioka, opened the event by appreciating KTB for its partnership with counties.
Nzioka highlighted the importance of proactive efforts in the competitive tourism sector. “The masters of the tourism game are fiercely competing for resources, while only the weak sit idly, waiting to be given a share,” Nzioka remarked.
The forum aims to enhance tourism, identify key focus areas to attract visitors and explore partnership opportunities.
Also present at the program were Stephen Mulei, Chief Officer for Tourism and Culture in Machakos, along with Directors Dianah Muli and Mutua Mulonzya for Tourism and Culture in Makueni.
MAKUENI COUNTY, UNICEF OFFICIALS VISIT BUSIA COUNTY ON ECD LEARNING MISSION.
A UNICEF ECD Taskforce accompanied by a group from Makueni County led by CECM ICT, Education & Internship, Elizabeth Muli visited Busia County to engage on the promotion of holistic early childhood development through integrated interventions in health, nutrition, education, child protection and social protection.
Makueni County Governor H.E. Mutula Kilonzo Jnr continues to reaffirm his commitment to advancing ECD, emphasizing the need for collaborative, child-centered approaches to health, education and nutrition.
Makueni and Busia Counties have been identified as focus areas for UNICEF’s 2025 ECD Convergence Initiative. The visit promotes knowledge-sharing and strengthens partnerships to address common challenges in early childhood development.
Dr. Ismael Teta, Chief Nutritionist at UNICEF, thanked Busia Governor *H.E Dr Paul Otuoma* for incorporating all key components of nurturing care, and called upon both Busia and Makueni to join forces and develop a model that can be adopted across Kenya. This model, which will be called Integrated ECDE, is expected to be embraced by all other counties.
GOVERNOR MUTULA CHAIRS STAKEHOLDERS MEETING TO PLAN NGAI NDETHYA SETTLEMENT
Makueni County, in partnership with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS), has initiated plans to draw a Land Management Plan for Ngai Ndethya Game Reserve, geared towards excising 13,000 hectares for human settlement and conservancies.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. on Tuesday chaired a consultative forum in his office, which was attended by KWS Wildlife and Community Service Director Prof. Charles Musyoki, several conservancy leaders, and executive committee members among other stakeholders.
The forum aimed to set the stage for the development of a Land Use and Management Plan for the 21,000-hectare Ngai Ndethya Game Reserve. This plan would allow the county government to excise 13,000 hectares off the protected area and pave way for issuance of title deeds.
To spearhead the process, a multi-sectoral team has been established and tasked with drafting the management plan within six months.
HEALTH EXPERTS PARTNER TO COMBAT RABIES AND YELLOW FEVER IN MAKUENI COUNTY
The Department of Health Services has partnered with researchers from the University of Nairobi, KU Leuven (Belgium), and the Global Alliance for Rabies Control (GARC) to engage stakeholders in developing innovative approaches to prevent rabies and yellow fever.
Makueni County is among the regions with a high burden of rabies, a vaccine-preventable zoonotic viral disease that affects the central nervous system.
As part of this collaboration, the department hosted a consultative meeting on Monday,employing participatory research methods to allow stakeholders to share diverse perspectives. These contributions will play a pivotal role in shaping policies aimed at mitigating rabies and yellow fever in the county.
Additionally, field visits will be conducted in selected healthcare facilities within the county to assess the prevalence of rabies and gather further insights for intervention strategies.
KWA NZOONGO DAM: A NEW HOPE FOR WATER AND FOOD SECURITY IN IVINGONI/NZAMBANI
Kwa Nzoongo Earth Dam, powered by the community-driven climate action program (FLLoCA), is set to revolutionize the water, agriculture, and environmental situation in Ivingoni/Nzambani Ward.
The Kshs 10M dam (funded by the World Bank and Makueni County Government) is nearly complete, with the contractor currently undertaking repair works on the embankment that breached during the recent rainy season.
Once fully operational, the dam will provide water to 400 households for both domestic use and micro-irrigation, including the establishment of vertical gardens to enhance food security.
A climate-smart agricultural demonstration farm will be set up near the dam site to educate farmers, alongside capacity-building programs on farmland and rangeland management. Additionally, efforts will be made to develop pasture through grass reseeding.
