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SENATE COMMITTEE APPLAUDS MAKUENI COUNTY’S EDUCATION SECTOR PROGRESS.

The Senate Education Committee has commended Makueni County for its notable strides in implementing Early Childhood Development (ECD) and Vocational Training Centre (VTC) programs.

Led by Committee Chair Senator Betty Montet, the delegation visited the county on Friday to assess the progress in education infrastructure and service delivery. Speaking when they paid a courtesy call on Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr., the committee praised Makueni for operationalizing 61 VTCs and building 384 well-equipped ECD classrooms since 2014. These efforts have positively impacted over 39,000 learners, who now enjoy improved learning environments compared to the previously dilapidated facilities — a sentiment echoed by Senator Daniel Maanzo.

Governor Mutula welcomed the Senate’s audit and emphasized the need for the national government to provide conditional grants to bolster county education systems, citing limited resources and competing priorities.

Other officials present included Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili, Senate Committee Vice Chair Prof. Margaret Kamar, and Senators Nderitu Kinyua (Laikipia), James Murango (Kirinyaga), and Johnes Mwaruma (Taita Taveta), alongside CECM for Education Japheth Mang’oka and CECM Finance, Damaris Kavoi.

SEKEB GOVERNORS PUSH FOR INCREASED COUNTY FUNDING.

On Thursday, the South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc Summit held an Extraordinary meeting attended by commissioners from the Commission for Revenue Allocation (CRA) on consultation of the fourth basis of revenue sharing.

During the meeting, the three governors Mutula Kilonzo Jr (Makueni), Julius Malombe (Kitui), and Wavinya Ndeti (Machakos) urged that county allocations be adjusted upwards. This will enable the devolved units ably address the myriad of challenges affecting wananchi.

“…The CRA must acknowledge that funds must follow functions, and that the revenue sharing formula must take into consideration the additional risks and pressure on the healthcare that the Bloc faces owing to accidents occurring along the transnational Nairobi-Mombasa Highway…”, read a press statement in part.

The governors resolved to lobby Members of the National Assembly and Senators from the SEKEB Bloc to for a unity of purpose to defend Devolution and champion the SEKEB position when the CRA revenue sharing formula is tabled in Parliament.

SEKEB Courts USAID for Development Partnerships

The South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc (SEKEB) is seeking to partner with the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) to leverage on its resources for the region’s development.

SEKEB top leadership under the chairmanship of ABC Archbishop Timothy Ndambuki, governor Kivutha Kibwana, speakers Douglas Mbilu, Florence Mwangangi and majority leaders from the three counties on Thursday held a consultative meeting with the agency’s Country and East Africa Mission director Mark Meassick to deliberate on possible partnerships.

The meeting, also attended by other top ranking USAID officials, was held at Bomani ABC Church grounds in Machakos.

According to Meassick, USAID invests over $450Million in Kenya annually, and is ready to partner with SEKEB as a co-creator targeting wealth creation especially in Agriculture, water development, health and climate change resilience building.

Meassick said USAID is seeking to take advantage of the devolution system of governance to enhance closer relations with County governments geared towards a transformative development agenda.

Governor Kibwana said SEKEB is in the process of establishing a framework that would guide the shared development partnerships among the member counties and as well with development partners. 

SEKEB 3RD SUMMIT MEETING HIGHLIGHTS

On Thursday, the three Ukambani Governors Mutula Kilonzo Jnr, Wavinya Ndeti and Julius Malombe held the 3rd summit meeting in Makueni where a number of strategies were drawn to improve quality of life for residents of the region.

Key highlights of the meeting include:

1. The three governors received SEKEB’s Economic Blueprint and Investment Plan from a consultant . The Bloc will initiate implementation of the First Phase of the Investment Plan within the next three years.

2. They called on the national government to address the massive pollution of River Athi, which poses a serious threat to the health of the Nation, particularly for the residents of the three SEKEB Counties. They urged for measures to force polluters to bear the responsibility by being compelled to pay reparations for the damages caused to our communities.

3. The three governors agreed to set up an abattoir in one of the counties with an area for value addition on hides, skins and other products through leather processing and other value additions. A joint Feeds’ Processing Zone will also be considered alongside agribusiness funding through the respective ministries of Trade.

4. To enhance the ease of doing business within the Bloc, the three county governments shall find a formula to harmonize and standardize county tariffs and licences.

5. The three counties have resolved to each invest in specialized health services in our main hospitals. Kitui will establish a Renal Centre, while Cancer and Trauma Centres will be built in Machakos and Makueni Counties, respectively. The Trauma Centre will help alleviate the suffering of the road accident victims along the busy Nairobi-Mombasa Highway.

6. To this effect, the Bloc is in the process of finalizing the development of its 10-year Vision Strategy which will guide in leveraging on economies of scale and concerted efforts to achieve sustainable development for the people.

Seed distribution exercise

At Chief’s Camp, Kibwezi town in Kikukmbulyu South ward, Kibwezi East Sub-County, elated farmers receive planting seeds donated by the County Government.

Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives Development Executive Committee Member Ms. Joyce M. Mutua who oversaw the distribution exercise asked the farmers to embrace good agricultural practices including soil conservation during planting and weeding to enhance the productivity of the farming land in Makueni County.

At least 130,000 households will benefit from certified planting seeds. The seeds consist of 149 metric tonnes of maize, 40 tonnes of beans, 127 tonnes of sorghum and 85 tonnes of green grams. The exercise was contacted across the 30 wards. Wards in upper and mid-zones received Maize and beans while ward in the low land areas received Sorghum and green grams. Residents were urged to take advantage of the county donated climate-resilient seeds for sustainable agriculture.

 

SECURING MAKUENI’S FUTURE THROUGH PARTNERSHIPS FOR A RESILIENT ECONOMY

Makueni is staging its third Development Partners Conference 2025, a strategic move aimed at rallying local and external actors around an integrated agenda that links donor support, private investment and knowledge to the county’s evolving development priorities.

Objectives of the conference include:

a) To reflect on the partnership journey in the implementation of the County Integrated Development Plan 2023-2027;

b) To strengthen donor coordination and promote integrated programming to ensure resources are pooled, leveraged for the realization of equity, inclusion and social justice;

c) To identify, co-create and catalyze bankable, community-driven projects, leveraging innovative financing mechanisms to bridge existing funding gaps and scale up transformative initiatives.