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150 young people to benefit from agribusiness training scholarships

At least 150 young people from Makueni County will undergo an intensive three months agribusiness training at the Miramar International College, Nairobi.

The 150 are representatives from the 30 wards, awarded scholarships by the German International Development Agency (GIZ), through the County government and KCB foundation.

The youths will be trained on hydroponics technology at the college for three months, and undergo a further three month training at the field.

They will also undergo business incubation where they will learn how to develop business and marketing plans besides enjoying discounted financing and ready market for their products.

This training is spearheaded by the Makueni Youth Empowerment Service (M-YES) and Makueni County Government’s department of Education,Youth, Sports and ICT.

The 150 youths were flagged off to Nairobi by governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana, GIZ advisor on Employment for Sustainable Development Dr.Henrik Schmidtke and KCB senior manager partnerships John Waimiri at ATC Kwakathoka Wednesday.

Governor Kibwana said his administration will continue to invest in projects that create jobs or enable youths to start their own businesses.

“It is our hope that initiatives like this one shall make agriculture more attractive to youth, promote use of technology in Agriculture, improve young people’s skills and enable them create job opportunities in Agribusiness,” he said.

“Engaging the youth population fully is therefore nolonger a choice but an imperative in the development process that is also recognised by the Makueni County Government Vision 2025,” Kibwana said further.

Dr.Schmidtket said the economic potential of the youth working in the informal sector is far from being fulfilled, mainly due to their insufficient access to knowledge, information and education, limited access to capital assets including land, inadequate access to financial services and limited access to markets.

He said providing youth in the informal sector with skills and enterprise development is a critical driver of job creation, income generation and overall improvement of livelihoods.

Makueni Human-Wildlife conflict claimants to receive compensation

Makueni Human-Wildlife conflict claimants to receive compensation from March, CS Malonza says
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Friday met Tourism, Wildlife and Heritage Cabinet Secretary Peninah Malonza to fast track pending compensation claims on human-wildlife conflict cases in Makueni.
The CS disclosed that plans are underway to settle the backlog of claims received by June 2022. She said: “We will pay the pending claims. I have already approved the budget and by march we should be starting the payments to claimants of loss of live and property cases.”
However, the Tourism CS decried of limited resources but her ministry is pushing for establishment of conservation fund as one of the ways of supplementing budget from the exchequer. Besides settling of the unpaid claims, Malonza said they were exploring ways to end human-wildlife conflict.
Malonza further announced that the government has already committed funds to electric fence the remaining section of Kitui Game Reserve bordering Masongaleni at River Athi. “I am happy that Makueni is already doing 93 Kilometres. We commit to do the remaining section that remains exposed at the kitui Game reserve,” said Malonza.
Governor Mutula sought for a collaboration with the ministry to assist the county in areas of tourism promotion, wildlife conservation and culture. Technical officers from the two teams are working together to establish specific areas of partnership ahead of official signing of their engagement.

1,000 Makueni farmers benefit from coffee seedlings

Over 1,000 farmers from Mbooni Sub-County have benefitted from coffee seedlings in a move to boost coffee farming in the area.
The county gave the Batian composite variety, the best coffee variety which is a mixture of different pure lines for that region.
The seedlings, a donation from the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock was flagged off by Agriculture Executive Joyce Mutua on Thursday at Nzaini Coffee factory.
She was accompanied by Executives Dr. Sonia Nzilani (Lands and Environment), Nicholas Masila Nzioka (Gender) and Mbooni MCA Hon. Alexander Mulemba, who took part in the distribution exercise across various coffee factories in the locality.
“This Batian we are giving to farmers is an improved variety and is tolerant to Coffee Berry Disease, leaf rust and has high production,” said Mutua
Hon. Mulemba called on the farmers to take advantage of the public participation forums during the budget making processes so as to allocate enough funds for coffee production.
They also took part in planting coffee seedlings within the compounds of some of the 7 coffee factories in Mbooni.
 

100 young people graduate in “Man Enough” program

Over 100 youth on Friday graduated from a youth empowerment training program dubbed “Man Enough” courtesy of partnership between the county government of Makueni and Transform Nations.

The initiative sought to equip the young men with life skills and prepare them as leaders in the family, the church and the community for national transformation through personal change.

Makueni governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana who officiated in the graduation ceremony at ATC, Kwa Kathoka challenged the youth to implement the skills they had acquired during the three weeks training saying that transformation of a nation starts with change of an individual.

“I urge you to implement what you have gained from this training and let the change be real. A community transforms itself when all its people are transformed,” Prof Kibwana said.

He further urged the youth to be agents of change in the society saying that they are the mustard seeds of transformation in the county and the nation at large.

Pastor Simon Mbevi, the founder of Transform Nations lauded the county for rolling out such a life transforming initiative saying that it was the first county to implement such a program.

“I would like to appreciate Makueni for being the first county to roll out this kind of a program and also thank the governor for the passion that he has for the young people of this county,” Pastor Mbevi stated.

Currently the county government, as a way of empowering the youth, is facilitating a youth driven initiative dubbed M-YES, a program that provides a platform for them to solve issues affecting their lives.

Other county officials who graced the ceremony included the acting executive committee member for Youth, Gender, Sports, Culture and Social Services Dr Naomi Makau and the department’s chief officer Jonah Kyathe.

  • July 13, 2018 in News

100 INTERNS JOIN MAKUENI PUBLIC SERVICE TO GAIN VALUABLE WORK EXPERIENCE

100 young people are set to join the Makueni County Public Service through the county internship program for a period of one year.

The program will  help the interns gain valuable work experience by networking with professionals in the various county departments as well as give them a platform to explore a career path through developing and refining skills.

The young people were competitively selected by the County public service board and are a representation from the 30 wards in the county. This is the sixth cohort to join the county public service since devolution.

 

On Thursday, the interns started a 2-day induction to equip them with various public service policies, processes and office etiquette before they settle down in the various workstations.

The induction workshop was officially opened by Makueni Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili. According to Mulili, the interns will be subjected to performance appraisals so as to focus on specific targets.

Others present during the official opening of the induction workshop include ICT and Education CEC Elizabeth Muli, Chief Officers for ICT, Education and Internship, Financial services and Livestock, Alphonse Kanunga, Nicholi s Mutua, John Nguni and Dr. Victoria Kyalo respectively.

100 BRIGHT AND NEEDY LEARNERS FROM MAKUENI WHO SAT THEIR KCPE IN 2023 WILL JOIN THEIR SECONDARY SCHOOLS OF CHOICE ON FULL SCHOLARSHIPS SPONSORED BY THE COUNTY GOVERNMENT OF MAKUENI.

100 bright and needy learners from Makueni who sat their KCPE in 2023 will join their secondary schools of choice on full scholarships sponsored by the County Government of Makueni.  

The 100 learners who report to school next week were awarded their first-year scholarship fee cheques by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr at Wote Green Park Friday after a thorough vetting process.

Esther Kyalo who wrote her KCPE at Kiaoni Primary School (Kikumbulyu North) and scored 392 marks terms this scholarship as God-send. Her dreams of joining Moi Girls Eldoret appeared all but shattered before the scholarship opportunity knocked on her door. Her family had to sell a few chicken to offset debts at her former school before she could be cleared and obtain results.

Mutula pledged to leverage on his good working relationship with different development partners to mobilize for more funds so that every bright vulnerable child in Makueni may be able to get an education. He has also called on national legislators to enact laws that make universal education affordable and accessible to all and not a preserve of the wealthy.

10 villages in Muvau-Kikumini to benefit from Sh 50M Rehabilitated Ndukuma Earth Dam

Ten villages in Muvau-Kikumini ward are set to benefit with sustainable water supply for both domestic use and micro-irrigation from the newly rehabilitated Ndukuma earth dam. The ten villages are Ndukuma, Kaseve, Nthembe, Mandoi Miteveni, Wendo, Munyuni, Nzaai, Kiatine and Mumbuni .
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Tuesday officially flagged off rehabilitation works for restoration of the dam to its original capacity after years of silting.
The department of Water and Sanitation began the works on 21st November 2022 using own machinery and has hired more from the National Youth Service (NYS) to speed up completion before onset of the March-May rains. The dam is expected to be complete by 24th March 2023 and will have cost Kshs 50 Million.
When complete, the dam reservoir will have a holding capacity of 365,000 cubic meters of water (365,000,000 litres) up from the current 162,000 cubic meters capacity after many years of silt accumulation.

10 Villages in Mavindini get clean Water

At least 2,100 villagers and 1,200 students in Mavindini Ward can now access clean water from Kanthuni borehole, commissioned by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr at Kanthuni Secondary School on Thursday.
The project was drilled and solarized by the Department of Water and Sanitation early July 2023 to ease the water shortage challenges synonymous with the area. Water will be distributed through Iiani and Kakuswi pipelines to 10 villages in the ward.
Governor Mutula was accompanied by Senator Daniel Maanzo, County Assembly Speaker Mbilu Douglas Area MCA Jonathan Kimongo and Muvau Kikumini MCA Elizabeth Kawembe.