Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr and PS for Culture, The Arts and Heritage Ummi Bashir officially opened the event on Saturday.
The festival has attracted many counties, parastatals, government agencies, religious and tertiary institutions.
A benchamrk by Nyandarua County government officials on the Makueni County Fire Brigade on the best practices in setting up fire stations
The 96th edition of the Kenya Music and Cultural Festival (KMCF) ended on a high note with the gala in which the creme de la creme of the festival entertained an audience eager to sample the best music and dance, elocution and drama teams from the festival.
Mr. Herman Shambi, Secretary Administration, State Department of Culture, the Arts and Heritage was the chief guest during the gala and closing ceremony of the 9 day festival that started on 1st December 2023 under the theme, ‘Our culture: towards national cohesion, healing and peace’.
The Chairperson of the KMCF, Prof. Emily Akuno, appreciated the generosity and hospitality extend to the festival by the Government of Makueni County. She noted that Makueni had set very high standards for other counties that will seek to host the festival.
Kakamega county emerged the top county in the festival followed by Uasin Gishu the second and Mombasa county in position three.
County First Ladies from Lamu, Nyamira and Wajir led by their host, H.E. Anita Mutula, attended the festival on 8th December 2023 and enjoyed Zilizopendwa tunes from the rest of Africa among other performances. The County First Ladies gave assurance of their support to the festival.
At least 94 needy pupils from Makueni who sat their Kenya Certificate of Primary Education in 2019 have secured full scholarships to their secondary schools of admission courtesy of the county government of Makueni.
Each of the 94 beneficiaries will receive Shs 70,000 per year for tuition, uniform and books while their families will cater for personal effects.
Governor Kivutha Kibwana who issued scholarship cheques to the beneficiaries on Monday at ATC-Kwakathoka termed the programme a lifeline for most vulnerable and bright children in the society.
“The Makueni County Scholarship support programme has proved to be a lifeline to many bright children who would have ended up in poorly resourced schools that cannot provide them quality education,” said Kibwana.
“Were it not for this programme, others would have ended up as casual laborers with a bleak future despite their stellar performance in national exams,” he further noted.
Kibwana said the county government is currently supporting 362 students in the scholarship programme for both continuing and the new students since its inception in 2014.
He said besides the 94 scholarships, his administration will spend Sh 18 million for bursaries to needy students in both secondary and tertiary institutions in the 2019/2020 Financial Year.
The Center for International Health Education and Biosecurity (CIHEB) has allocated Sh. 108M to Makueni county health services docket for HIV prevention and treatment services, the organization’s CEO Dr. Emily Koech has announced.
The institution is implementing a 5-year workplan for disease control and prevention funded program dubbed ‘The partnership for advanced care and treatment’ in the Lower Eastern region.
Dr. Koech led his CIHEB team on Monday to pay a courtesy call to governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and his deputy Lucy Mulili with their discussions centered on comprehensive HIV and TB treatment.
Since last year, the organization funded Makueni through the county health management team to a tune of Sh. 112M to provide services and activities highlighted below.
● Provision of HIV prevention interventions for general and key populations including HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis(PrEP) services and gender-basedHIV-exposed violence
●Provision of High-quality targeted HIV testing services (HTS) leading to the identification and linkage of HIV-infected individuals.
● Provision of HIV prevention and treatment services for pregnant and breast-feeding women and HIV-exposedlast infants.
● Provision of quality patient-centered HIV care and treatment services for PLHIV, including management of commodities.
● Strengthening of health systems to support the delivery of HIV and TB related services including laboratory systems, commodity management and monitoring and evaluation systems.gender-based
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. on Thursday led the graduation of 900 trainees from Vocational Training Centres (VTCs) across Makueni County during the inaugural Makueni–KCB Foundation 2Jiajiri Programme graduation ceremony held at the Makueni Integrated Vocational Education Centre (MIVEC).
The graduation marked the completion of a KES 60 million partnership between the Government of Makueni and the KCB Foundation to equip young people with technical and entrepreneurial skills through the 2Jiajiri Programme.
Governor Mutula said the county has invested more than KES 80 million in VTC infrastructure over the last three years under CIDP III.
The partnership delivered solar-powered boreholes, water and electricity connections, modern training equipment, renovated workshops, and upgraded computer laboratories in several VTCs across the county.
Out of the 900 trainees enrolled in the programme, 831 graduated successfully. Among them, 264 earned First Class Honours while 567 attained Ordinary Passes in different technical courses.
Governor Mutula announced that the county will issue starter toolkits to all First Class Honours graduands. He also directed the Department of ICT, Education and Internship to establish the Makueni 2Jiajiri Alumni Network within 90 days to strengthen networking and market access for graduates.
The Governor further confirmed that the county has allocated funds to continue the programme in the 2026/2027 Financial Year as part of its strategy to expand youth empowerment and economic growth through vocational training.
KCB Foundation Head of Programme Joblin Omani, Members of the County Assembly led by Speaker Douglas Mbilu, and the Clerk of the County Assembly attended the event.
There is a celebratory mood as a procession officially ushered in the 2Jiajiri Programme graduation ceremony, where 900 trainees from Vocational Training Centres across Makueni County are on Thursday celebrating a major milestone in their skills development journey.
The colourful procession was led by the County Executive Committee Member for ICT, Education and Internship, Japheth Mang’oka, together with the Chief Officer for Education and Internship, Irene Makau, alongside county officials and trainers.
The ceremony marks the culmination of months of intensive training under the transformative 2Jiajiri initiative, aimed at equipping youth with practical and market-driven skills for self-reliance and employment.
The programme is a partnership between the County Government of Makueni and the KCB Foundation, working together to empower youth through technical and vocational training, entrepreneurship support, and skills development opportunities.
Families, partners, and stakeholders have gathered in Wote to witness the celebration of resilience, talent, and the county’s continued commitment to empowering young people through technical and vocational training.
#2Jiajiri#VTCGraduation#SkillsForLife#Makueni
At least 90 candidates from across Makueni County who sat for their KCPE in 2018 will join secondary schools of their choices under full scholarships courtesy of the Makueni County Government.
The 90, three from each of the 30 wards were awarded their first year fees cheques, amounting to a maximum of Sh 70,000 by deputy governor Adelina Mwau at Wote on Tuesday.
The 90 brings to 293 the total number of students sponsored by the County Government since 2014 when the scholarship program was unveiled by the Kibwana administration.
The scholarships covers fees, uniform and books and those who score B+ get a chance to proceed to University under full scholarship.
One of the pioneer beneficiaries of this program, Naomi Kithikii who went to Pangani Girls High School from Kiambani primary school in Makindu is now a student at the Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology (JKUAT) pursuing Radiography.
“This program is God send for some of us. When i sat for my KCPE, the future looked so bleak with no hope of joining secondary school. Today I’m just a step from my dream career courtesy of this program.” said Naomi who graced the Scholarships award event.
Speaking at the event, deputy governor Adelina Mwau said, “As a government, what we are doing today is like planting a seed that in four years will bear good fruit and a few years later lead to transformation of the ninety families represented here.”
Renown Wote based business mogul Duncun Mwilu alias Ngooni offered to sponsor up to University one student recommended by the county government.
90 pupils from needy backgrounds who sat for their KCPE in 2022 have secured full scholarships to their secondary schools of choice thanks to the County Government of Makueni.
The 90 were selected from the 30 wards after a thorough vetting exercise by the Department of Education.
Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr who led the scholarships award ceremony in Wote said the county government will closely monitor the awardees’ educational progress so that non veers off the right course of the education system.
A total of 89 young people in Kathonzweni Ward have benefited from the “Ujuzi Teke Teke” empowerment program, receiving tools of trade to kick-start their enterprises.
Tools provided include barbering & salon kits, welding equipment, mechanical repair kits, tailoring kits and car wash machines. Mbuvo and Kathonzweni clusters each received a car wash set-up, while Ngomano cluster benefited from an irrigation kit.
The initiative, spearheaded by the Department of Gender, Children, Youth, Sports, and Social Services, combines hands-on mentorship from seasoned business owners (master craftsmen) with the provision of start-up kits, enabling youth to establish and grow their businesses.
County Executive Committee Member Eng. Sebastian Kyoni terms the program a catalyst for local economic growth and self-reliance. Youth Director Boniface Muting’a led the distribution exercise on Thursday.
