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MAKUENI AND THINKWELL STRENGTHEN HEALTH SECTOR THROUGH PERFORMANCE MANAGEMENT FRAMEWORK

The Makueni County Government, in partnership with ThinkWell, have been implementing a performance management framework aimed at systematically tracking progress, identifying service delivery gaps, and enhancing health outcomes across the county.

On Tuesday, the County Health Management Team convened at Kusyombunguo Hotel to assess the implementation of previous action points and propose corrective measures where necessary.

During the forum, ThinkWell representative Moses Maragu reported that health facilities achieved a 100 percent reporting rate in April and May this year.

Level 2 and 3 facilities recorded higher participation and inclusion in the analysis compared to level 4 facilities.

The assessment also showed that level 4 facilities had attained full availability of essential maternal and newborn care equipment.

Items such as delivery beds, vacuum extractors, and complete delivery packs were reported to be readily available, reflecting improved facility readiness for maternal and newborn care.

Outgoing County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Services, Dr. Paul Musila, who attended the meeting, used the opportunity to introduce the incoming CECM, Joyce Mutua.

He emphasized the role of performance management in strengthening accountability, enhancing efficiency, and aligning health interventions with county priorities.

He also highlighted the framework’s role in promoting data-driven decision-making, continuous improvement, and the optimal use of resources to better serve the population.

MAKUENI AND PATH TRAIN BIOMEDICAL ENGINEERS IN ADVANCED HEALTHCARE TECHNOLOGY

Makueni County, in partnership with the Programme for Appropriate Technology in Health (PATH), has embarked on a significant initiative to train 16 biomedical engineers in the latest healthcare technologies.

This collaboration aims to enhance the engineers’ skills in developing innovative solutions for healthcare and public health initiatives.

As part of the training, the engineers were introduced to Survey CTO Collect V2.81, a mobile data collection platform tailored for researchers and professionals working in offline environments.

This tool is expected to improve the efficiency and accuracy of data collection in various healthcare settings.

These trained biomedical engineers will be deployed to conduct comprehensive facility audits across different departments within county hospitals.

Their primary role will involve supervising over 57 healthcare facilities, with a focus on auditing equipment in laboratories, radiology units, central sterile services departments (CSSD), operating theaters, and computed tomography (CT) facilities.

Following the audits, the engineers will electronically submit detailed reports to the Department of Health Services in the County, ensuring that the data collected is promptly and accurately processed for further action.

MAKUENI AND KWS CHARTS A NEW PATH FOR CONSERVATION AND DEVELOPMENT

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. met with Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) Director General Prof. Erastus Kanga on Tuesday to discuss critical issues affecting Makueni County.

Top in the discussion was the regularization of the Ngai Ndethya settlement scheme, which is currently a national reserve. It was resolved that the county government will initiate a management plan for excision to allocate 13,860 hectares for human settlement and 7,279 hectares for wildlife conservancy.

It was agreed that the conservancy would remain public land and be designated as a game reserve, to be managed collaboratively by the County Government of Makueni and the Kenya Wildlife Service.

Prof. Kanga emphasized the importance of wildlife conservation for biodiversity and sustaining life, as highlighted by UNESCO.

During the meeting, Governor Kilonzo committed to establishing a resource centre with offices for the County Game Warden and Liaison Officer. In turn, KWS pledged to improve road access in Mtito Andei town to enhance connectivity.

Further, he noted that the collaboration would boost revenue by positioning Mtito Andei as a key tourist destination. “This partnership is a win for conservation, development, and the people of Makueni.” Kilonzo remarked

Additionally, the meeting addressed the urgent need for concerted mitigation of human-wildlife conflict in the county with the completion of 20 Kilometre electric fence from Wandei to Gaza set before the end of February 2025. KWS was urged to implement swift intervention measures and expedite compensation for affected residents.

The Governor was accompanied by CEC Members Japheth Mang’oka (Lands), Nicholas Nzioka (Devolution), Eng. Peter Nyamai (Transport), and Chief Officers Eng. Naomi Nthambi (Energy), Dr. Geoffrey Ngovi (Environment), and Daudi Kyalo (Lands and Urban Planning).

MAKUENI EYES SH 1.2B IN OWN SOURCE REVENUE THROUGH COLLECTION PARTNERSHIP WITH KCB.

Makueni and Kenya Commercial Bank have partnered to enhance the county’s Own Source Revenue collection with a target of Sh 1.2 Billion in the 2023/2024 Financial Year.

On Thursday, Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr  and a delegation of KCB managers held a review of the ongoing Market Outreach Last Mile revenue collection which has so far netted Sh 887M.

The team also flagged an accelerated campaign towards the Sh 1.2B mark which also entails a joint coaching of business people on developing bankable ideas, loan and insurance products. 

Governor Mutula said the partnership will be scaled to support the agricultural value chain especially in marketing of mangoes, pixies and green grams.

MAKUENI AND KCB SET STAGE FOR TRANSFORMATIVE PARTNERSHIP

In a bold and visionary move, the County Government of Makueni has held an inception meeting with Kenya Commercial Bank Foundation(KCBF), setting the groundwork for a transformative partnership under the 2JIAJIRI program. This upcoming initiative aims to equip thousands of young people with technical skills, entrepreneurial training, and access to affordable credit — turning them from job seekers into job creators. With KCB’s Foundation financial strength and Makueni’s grassroots reach, the county is poised to become a model for youth-led economic empowerment.

The program will focus on high-impact sectors like carpentry, masonry, and beauty among others while also providing financial literacy and startup support to help youth build viable businesses. Once launched, 2JIAJIRI promises to light the path to self-reliance and prosperity for Makueni’s next generation.

The meeting was led by CECM for ICT, Education, and Internship Elizabeth Muli, CECM for Gender, Children, Sports and Social Services Sebastian Kyoni, Chief Officer Irene Makau,and CO Nicholis Mutua, among other county officials — marking the beginning of a promising journey toward sustainable youth empowerment.

MAKUENI AND BRITISH HIGH COMMISSION EXPLORE PARTNERSHIP FOR RENEWABLE ENERGY IN MAKUENI COUNTY.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr on Tuesday hosted  a British High Commission delegation led by Daniel Wilcox, the Economic Counsellor at the High Commission, who paid him a courtesy call in Makueni 

The team discussed modalities of joint resource mobilization to promote innovative renewable energy technologies and the transition from grid-powered to solar-powered systems within Makueni County.

One of the identified areas of partnership is setting up a state-of-the-art County Energy Center in Kisingo Technical Training Institute to serve the county and country at large.

The UK PACT team, county officials for Energy & Environment visited Makueni County Referral Hospital to inspect ongoing installation of solar panels that will enable 100% reliance on solar power. This project which is jointly funded by the UK in collaboration with the county government will generate 200 kilowatts and is expected to save power costs for the hospital by Sh 7 million annually.

Makueni among the core counties to inform a study by World Bank on the impact of devolution

Makueni County has been chosen as one of the core counties that will inform a study to be conducted by the World Bank jointly with the Government of Kenya on the impact of devolution on service delivery.

According to the World Bank Senior Urban Management Specialist Abdu Muwonge, the study seeks to assess the performance of devolution since its inception in 2013 adding that it will also document key successes, its challenges in the past six years as well as propose ways to improve it in accordance to the findings of the study.

“The main reason of our visit to Makueni today is to get an overview of a study that we intend to carry out to assess the impact of devolution since its inception six years ago, the successes, challenges and the way forward,” said Muwonge.

Muwonge congratulated Makueni for being among the core counties identified for joint in-depth data collection saying that it provides a remarkable devolution history that started with wrangles in 2013 but rose to become a hub for benchmarking by other counties and various development partners.

He spoke on Thursday when together with his team met the Makueni top officials led by Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau during the study overview meeting at Wote.

The DG welcomed the study saying that it will serve as an evaluation to the County and be able to learn from the challenges and make devolution work even better.

“This study is welcome in Makueni because it will act as mid-evaluation for us since we started in 2013. Through the findings, we will be able to make devolution even work better as we look forward to leaving a strong foundation after our exit in 2022,” Mwau stated.

The World bank team will work with County officers in thematic areas of water, health, education, agriculture and urban development. Other counties that will be part of the study include Nairobi, Garissa, Nyandarua and Kisumu.

MAKUENI AMONG FOUR COUNTIES SELECTED FOR PILOT OF HOMEGROWN SCHOOL FEEDING RESEARCH PROJECT

Makueni County has been selected among four counties to pilot a new, three-year research initiative — the STEP (Sustainable, Inclusive, and Equitable Procurement in Home Grown School Feeding Programmes) Project — launched today at the Argyle Grand Hotel in Nairobi. The project, led by the African Agricultural Technology Foundation (AATF) in collaboration with partners like Tanager and Tegemeo Institute, aims at reimagining how school meals are sourced and delivered in Kenya.

The STEP initiative is designed not only to feed learners with nutritious, homegrown food, but also to build a sustainable and inclusive procurement model that can support local economies. Besides Makueni, the other counties selected for the pilot are Nairobi, Embu, and Isiolo.

In her remarks, Makueni CECM for ICT, Education, and Internship, Elizabeth Muli, welcomed the opportunity, saying the County is fully committed to tackling child malnutrition and food insecurity through innovative and evidence-based approaches. “We look forward to learning and co-creating a system that uplifts both the nutritional status of our children and the economic resilience of our farmers,” she said.

The first six months of the STEP project will focus on applied research—conducting context analysis, assessing current school feeding procurement systems, and understanding policy gaps. Based on the findings, a model procurement system for sourcing food locally will be designed. This working model will then be piloted in two selected sites—either a single school or a cluster of schools—within each participating county.

The pilot phase will provide vital lessons on best practices, challenges, and scalability. These insights will be used to refine and package a scalable model that could eventually be rolled out nationally, helping Kenya meet its goal of universal school meal coverage for 10 million learners by 2030.

The project also emphasizes gender inclusivity, agro-ecological practices, and stronger value chains—aiming to improve farmer incomes, support smallholder producer groups, and foster gender-equitable procurement systems.

With Makueni’s prior investment in ECDE nutrition and its vulnerability to food insecurity, the county is strategically positioned to pioneer this groundbreaking model. Through STEP, school meals may soon become more than nourishment—they could become an engine for local development and systemic transformation.

Officials from Makueni County present at the launch included CECM for Health Paul Musila, Chief Officer for ICT, Education and Internship Irene Makau, Chief Officer for Livestock Dr. Victoria Kyalo, and Director, Department of ICT, Education and Internship Damaris Makau, among other County officials.

MAKUENI AGRICULTURE ECM JOYCE MUTUA SAYS THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT HAS ROLLED OUT PROGRAMS TO SUPPORT AGRI-BUSINESS AND THE AGRICULTURE VALUE CHAIN.

Makueni Agriculture ECM Joyce Mutua says the County Government has rolled out programs to support agri-business and the agriculture value chain.

Mutua said such programmes include the Agriculture Business Development Program (ABDP) among others.

She was speaking in Makindu when she met with participants at a training programme organised by Kitise Rural Development and Christian Aid on good governance. She lauded the two groups for empowering local residents understand key governance issues. The event was attended by Makueni County Chief Officer Devolution Daniel Ndolo, KRD and Christian Aid officials among others.

NARIGP NATIONAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE LAUDS MAKUENI FOR SUCCESSFUL IMPLEMENTATION OF WORLD BANK FUNDED PROJECT.

A delegation from the National Technical Advisory Committee for National Agricultural and Rural Inclusive Growth Project (NARIGP) has lauded Makueni for Successful Implementation of the project, saying that the county is ready to transition to the new project, National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project(NAVCDP).

NAVCDP is a Government of Kenya project with co-funding from the World Bank and the National Government. The project will be implemented in 32 counties, Makueni among them,  targeting to increase market participation and value addition for farmers in select value chains.

James Muturi who led the team said  that NAVCDP will build on the strong foundation laid by NARIGP  emphasizing the importance of the assessment.

Muturi was wowed by some of the interventions to farmers which have led to improved livelihoods and agricultural productivity. 

The team, hosted by Makueni Agriculture and Livestock Joyce Mutua on Tuesday visited  Kilombo dam in Kiima-Kiu Kalanzoni Ward, Kwa Nguni Watershed Sustainable Land Management project in Kako-Waia Ward and Kilome Farmers Sacco.