Skip to content Skip to left sidebar Skip to footer

News

Makueni Projects Sh152M for El Niรฑo Preparedness.

WOTE: 30th September 2026

Makueni County Government has projected a Sh152 million disaster preparedness budget ahead of the expected October-November-December (OND) El Niรฑo rains.

The funds are expected to support evacuation efforts and the provision of essential services in hotspot areas prone to floods, disease outbreaks, damaged infrastructure and other risks associated with the enhanced rains.

On Wednesday, Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili presided over a Disaster Risk Management Conference for development partners in Wote, aimed at mobilising the required resources and establishing a coordinated disaster response approach to avoid duplication of efforts.

Mulili said Makueni has in the past experienced the adverse effects of enhanced rainfall, including the loss of 18 lives in 2025, mudslides in Kilungu and Kithungo, and flooding in Sultan Hamud, Mbitini and other parts of the county.

She urged residents to remain vigilant and avoid crossing flooded rivers, which she identified as one of the leading causes of loss of lives during periods of heavy rainfall.

Mulili assured residents that the county government, in partnership with the national government and development partners, is fully prepared to respond to the expected rains, with a focus on protecting lives, infrastructure and livelihoods.

๐Œ๐š๐ค๐ฎ๐ž๐ง๐ข ๐’๐ž๐ž๐ค๐ฌ ๐”.๐’. ๐Œ๐š๐ซ๐ค๐ž๐ญ๐ฌ ๐Ÿ๐จ๐ซ ๐Ž๐ซ๐ ๐š๐ง๐ข๐œ๐š๐ฅ๐ฅ๐ฒ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ž๐ ๐Œ๐š๐ง๐ ๐จ๐ž๐ฌ.

๐–๐จ๐ญ๐ž, ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก ๐’๐ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ”- The County Government of Makueni is seeking new market opportunities for farmers engaged in organic mango production, with efforts underway to link them to markets in the United States.

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development, Japheth Mangโ€™oka, said the County is engaging the Export Processing Zones Authority (EPZA) to map farmers already practising organic farming and establish a structured system that brings farmers, processors and offtakers together.

The discussions also aim to encourage more farmers to transition from conventional to organic mango production while ensuring compliance with the required organic management standards and certification requirements.

EPZA, led by General Manager for Operations and Investor Support Alice Atogo, has identified Freeze Dry as a potential offtaker. The company is willing to support farmers in meeting the requirements for organic certification, opening the way for Makueniโ€™s organic mangoes to access higher-value export markets.

๐—Ÿ๐—ผ๐—ฐ๐—ฎ๐—น ๐—™๐—ผ๐—ผ๐—ฑ๐˜€, ๐—›๐—ฒ๐—ฎ๐—น๐˜๐—ต๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐—ฟ ๐—–๐—ผ๐—บ๐—บ๐˜‚๐—ป๐—ถ๐˜๐—ถ๐—ฒ๐˜€.

๐’๐ž๐ฉ๐ญ๐ž๐ฆ๐›๐ž๐ซ ๐Ÿ‘๐ŸŽ๐ญ๐ก, ๐Ÿ๐ŸŽ๐Ÿ๐Ÿ” ~ The use of locally available foods is emerging as a practical way for communities to improve nutrition, diversify diets and strengthen household food security.

This initiative was highlighted during a two-day community sensitization forums held under the Transforming Lives Through Nutrition (TLTN) project by IDE Kenya in collaboration with the County Agriculture Department, Farmer Business Advisors (FBAs), farmers and private-sector actors.

Farmers and community in Ukia and Mbitini Wards explored the nutritional value of locally grown crops and learned practical ways of preparing a variety of nutritious meals before sampling the prepared delicacies.

The Monday and Tuesday sessions also promoted dietary diversity and encouraged households to make better use of affordable foods readily available within their communities.

The engagement further connected farmers with seed and agrochemical suppliers to improve access to quality farm inputs.

By combining nutrition education with stronger agricultural linkages, the initiative is helping communities translate locally available resources into healthier meals, improved food security and more resilient households.

๐„๐ฆ๐š๐ฅ๐ข ๐๐š๐ซ๐š๐ณ๐š ๐‡๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ฅ๐ข๐ ๐ก๐ญ๐ฌ ๐ƒ๐ž๐ฏ๐ž๐ฅ๐จ๐ฉ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐๐ซ๐จ๐ฃ๐ž๐œ๐ญ๐ฌ ๐š๐ง๐ ๐๐ฎ๐›๐ฅ๐ข๐œ ๐‹๐š๐ง๐ ๐“๐ข๐ญ๐ฅ๐ž๐ฌ.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has outlined a series of development projects for Emali Ward during a public baraza at Emali Bus Park, where residents raised concerns on water, infrastructure, youth, persons with disabilities and other public needs.

The venue also hosted a day long medical camp for Emali residents organised by the county government. Mutula inspected the program and highlighted key health interventions the government had undertaken including free ambulance services, with standby ambulance service stationed along Mombasa -Nairobi highway.

The governor said the county government had implemented a 25,000-cubic-metre water project for Emali town, aimed at addressing water needs in the growing urban centre.

A key highlight of the meeting was the issuance of title deeds for public facilities and parcels. The documents covered the Muslim cemetery in Emali, Emali Hospital, Kwa Kamba Hill land, the Christian cemetery, Emali Green Space, Emali Green Groceries Market and the Emali dumpsite.

The governor also issued driving licences to 16 tractor drivers who had completed training through a county government programme

Mutula announced free Wi-Fi at the market through the Emali ICT Hub and said a new cabro paving project in the town would provide a more conducive environment for traders and customers.

The governor was accompanied by county officials, Several MCAs and other local leaders.

๐‚๐ซ๐ž๐š๐ญ๐ข๐ง๐  ๐š ๐‚๐จ๐ง๐๐ฎ๐œ๐ข๐ฏ๐ž ๐๐ฎ๐ฌ๐ข๐ง๐ž๐ฌ๐ฌ ๐„๐ง๐ฏ๐ข๐ซ๐จ๐ง๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has commissioned a cabro paving project in Emali, aimed at improving the townโ€™s streets and creating a more conducive environment for businesses and traders.

The project is expected to give Emaliโ€™s streets a new look while enhancing the market environment and boosting revenue collection.

The project is scheduled for completion within three months.

๐†๐จ๐ฏ๐ž๐ซ๐ง๐จ๐ซ ๐Œ๐ฎ๐ญ๐ฎ๐ฅ๐š ๐Ž๐Ÿ๐Ÿ๐ž๐ซ๐ฌ ๐๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐š๐ง๐ž๐ง๐ญ & ๐๐ž๐ง๐ฌ๐ข๐จ๐ง๐š๐›๐ฅ๐ž ๐“๐ž๐ซ๐ฆ๐ฌ ๐จ๐Ÿ ๐„๐ฆ๐ฉ๐ฅ๐จ๐ฒ๐ฆ๐ž๐ง๐ญ ๐ญ๐จ ๐Œ๐š๐ค๐ฎ๐ž๐ง๐ข ๐‚๐จ๐ฎ๐ง๐ญ๐ฒ ๐”๐‡๐‚ ๐’๐ญ๐š๐Ÿ๐Ÿ.

A total of 186 staff members received their Permanent and Pensionable Letters, marking a significant milestone for healthcare workers who were contracted during the COVID-19 period and have waited six years for confirmation.

Governor Mutula noted that remuneration has been one of the challenges in absorbing the workers into the permanent establishment, amid ongoing discussions between the National and County Governments. He emphasized that the staffโ€™s gratuity must be paid.

The Governor expressed his appreciation to the staff for their dedication and commitment to serving residents throughout the six-year period and reaffirmed his administrationโ€™s commitment to supporting county employees.

He further revealed that 653 staff members across various cadres have been promoted.

Governor Mutula also said that, working together with the Council of Governors (CoG), nurses will receive their allowances, while cautioning against the politicization of healthcare services.

To support the continued growth of Emali Sub-County Hospital and improve services to the community, the Governor announced plans to construct a theatre at the facility.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has handed over the Emali Recreational and Talent Development Facility for development.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has handed over the Emali Recreational and Talent Development Facility for development.

The facility will provide a platform for talent identification, development and nurturing, and will feature a range of activities within a comprehensive sports ecosystem.

Mutula said Emali is an important economic zone not only for Makueni County but also for the country, noting that such facilities will contribute to enhancing the townโ€™s status and supporting its growth.

He was joined by County officials, several MCAs, including area MCA Cosmas Mutunga, and other local leaders.