Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili on Friday led a development tour of Emali/Mulala, Kasikeu, and Mukaa wards, where she promoted the county’s social inclusion program.
In Emali, Mulili distributed youth empowerment tools, including full public address systems, mechanic support equipment, and state-of-the-art wheelchairs for people with mobility challenges.
At Kasikeu, the Deputy Governor provided sports equipment to organized youth teams to boost sports development in the area.
In Mukaa Ward, 10 social welfare groups each received a 100-seater tent and chairs to support their income-generating activities. Additionally, Mulili distributed footballs to sports teams and wheelchairs to persons with disabilities (PWDs).
Mulili, accompanied by Gender Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni, and respective MCAs Cosmus Kaleli, Reuben Kavai and Joseph Muema reiterated Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr’s commitment to inclusivity and support for vulnerable groups, ensuring no one feels left out in the county development.
Deputy Governor Adelina Mwau has said Makueni County has greater potential in solar energy that remains an attraction to investors in the green energy sector.
Mwau who met a top Israeli green energy investor the CEO of Gigawatts Global Mr Yosef Abramowitz in Nairobi on Thursday said that despite the potential, most households in Makueni County remained unlit with electricity cost too prohibitive for the locals.
Mwau said the county has opened doors to potential investors showing interest in solar harvesting in the area adding that the county’s 10 hours of sunshine a day could be turned into a blessing through solar harvesting initiatives.
“Our county has not benefitted majorly from the national government’s rural electrification plan.This could be the way out. It could help us get power and facilitate the lighting of the Makueni villages,”Mwau said.
Speaking during the meeting Mr Abramowitz said Gigawatts Global is interested in potential partnership in the energy related areas.
He said his organisation is a leader in green energy installations around the world and that the company has successfully ventured in Africa adding that any initiative in Makueni will be supported.
“We are open to any working relationship with Makueni county.We are impressed by the strong governance credentials shown by the county government.It shows it will be very easy for us to work with you,”Mr Abramowitz said.
Transport ECM Sebastian Kyoni who was also present said the county is ready to work with Gigawatts Global once they are ready to make a move.
Youth, Gender, Culture, Sports and Social Services Chief Officer Jonah Kyathe on Friday urged the national government to devolve children services in order to make it easier to handle their cases effectively at the grassroots.
Kyathe said that counties have no budget to address children affairs adding that the county only compliments what the national government does because children services are not devolved.
“The budget to manage the affairs of our children is at the national level and as such it is difficult to effectively deal with arising cases at the grassroots effectively. Our children are here with us not in Nairobi and we therefore urge the national government to devolved children services,” Kyathe said.
Kyathe who spoke during a stakeholders’ training workshop on sensitization and formation of sub-county child protection committees in Wote observed that most of the children’s cases are not reported because their perpetrators are family members.
He further indicated that many people do not know the relevant authorities to report children cases and called for intense training to members in order to be equipped with relevant information on children cases.
“Most of the children cases go unreported because they are committed by close family members while others are never reported simply because our people do not know where to report such cases. We there need a lot of training on the same,” he added.
The training also oversaw formation of sub- county children protection committees across the county. The committees will over and above be responsible for detection, response and also address children abuse cases.
The executive committee member for Youth and Gender Dr. Godfrey Makau who also attended the workshop said that the county government was in the process of formulating a county child protection policy to guide the county on matters children.
He further called upon the national government and other key stakeholder to work together towards promoting the rights of children in order to avoid duplicate of roles when addressing the same issue.
“We are in the process of formulating a county child protection policy and we urge the national government to partner with us so that we avoid duplication of roles when we are addressing the same issues of our children,” the ECM said.
His sentiments were echoed by Makueni County Co-coordinator, Children services Celestine Nthiani who was doing a presentation on overview of child protection and the roles of the child protection committees.
“If we need to go far, we need to work together as institutions in order to protect our children who are our future,” Ms. Nthiani observed.
Other officials who graced the training workshop include Jane Makau, County director for gender and representatives from Faith Based Organisations and other non state actors.
Devolution Executive Japheth Musyoka Mang’oka on Saturday visited Mba Primary School in Kako/Waia, Mbooni Sub-County to assess the basic physical structures in the school following Strong winds that blew off roofs of several classrooms on Friday.
Mang’oka observed that the area experienced torrential rainfall which was accompanied by powerful gusts of wind leading to destruction of a section of the school, with the ECD classrooms being the most affected.
He assured parents that infrastructural personnel will be send on Monday to ascertain levels of damage caused.
However, he revealed that the school will receive over 600 seedlings from the Environment Department which will be planted in the school compound to blunt the school buildings from chilling power of stiff winds.
Governor Kivutha Kibwana and deputy Adelina Mwau join other governors and Food and Agricultural Organization officials in the launch of the “Counties That Matter” food programme, a partnership between counties and FAO.
This programme seeks to build sustainable food systems in counties as part of driving the food security aspect of the Big Four Agenda spearheaded by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The launch took place on Wednesday during the 6th Annual Devolution Conference staged at Kirinyaga University, Kirinyaga county.
The Tourism Directorate is undertaking a four-day- sensitization forum for local hoteliers, business operators, vendors and transport service providers to enlighten them on how to onboard their products and services onto Destination Makueni.
Destination Makueni is an online platform developed as part of efforts to digitize tourism promotion and bridge the information gap for both visitors and local operators.
In recognizing the Makueni county’s vast tourism potential and the need for a unified online presence, the Directorate partnered with stakeholders to build a platform that supports local businesses, markets Makueni’s unique attractions and encourages sustainable economic growth through tourism.
The platform is designed to make it easy for nature enthusiasts and tourists to discover the county’s hidden gems, hospitality facilities, service providers and local vendors right from their phones or computers at a glance.
The sensitization forums, which kicked off in Mbooni on Monday and continued in Kilome on Tuesday, aim to cover all six sub-counties. Interested hoteliers and tourism service providers are getting the opportunity to onboard their products and services on the platform, complete with detailed pricing information.
This platform offers up-to-date information on hospitality facilities and tourism service providers, ensuring visitors plan their stay with ease.
By giving local hotels, lodges, tour guides and other tourism businesses a digital marketing space, Destination Makueni aims to boost their visibility, attract more guests and drive economic empowerment for communities that rely on tourism for their livelihoods.
Mulili expressed pride in the county’s accomplishments and its commitment to contributing to Kenya’s economic development through innovative products and ideas.
Odinga’s presence underscored the bipartisan commitment to the success of devolution in Kenya.