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MAKUENI TARGETS STRONGER MANGO MARKETS AHEAD OF 2025 PEAK SEASON

With Kenya producing about 650,000 metric tonnes of mangoes annually, Makueni continues to stand out with an estimated 183,891 metric tonnes harvested in the 2024 season—affirming its position as one of the country’s leading mango hubs.

To strengthen this key sector, the Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development partnered with Trademark Africa (TMA)—an EU-funded agency that supports fair trade and improved market access—and convened a two-day forum bringing together farmers, marketing agents and exporters.

The meeting aimed to streamline fair pricing across all levels of the mango value chain, link farmers with credible buyers, and organise producers by region to ease bulk collection and improve market coordination.

Speaking during the Thursday session, Agriculture CECM Liz Muli urged farmers to follow proper mango handling practices, noting that good post-harvest care is essential for meeting export standards.

With improved mango handling, stronger market linkages and fair pricing structures, farmers will be positioned to reap meaningful benefits from their orchards.

The Makueni’s sweet mango output includes 30.9 million kgs for farm consumption, 76.4 million kgs for urban markets, and 5.5 million kgs for export, reflecting its growing economic potential.

The attendance Chief Officers Japheth Kiminza and Dr. Victoria Kyallo underscored the county’s commitment—driven by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr‘s vision—to advancing economic empowerment and improving household incomes across Makueni.

Makueni, Tangaza University partner to steer Development

Makueni has enlisted Tangaza University College, a constituent of Catholic University of East Africa as a lead research and technical capacity building institute for its development programs and projects.

In the five-year deal signed Tuesday by Governor Kivutha Kibwana and Tangaza University College interim principal Tom Kearny, TUC will carry out research on various areas as agreed by the parties, and the research outcome will serve to facilitate informed decision making by the county government.

Essentially, the county government will identify key economic stimulus projects such as setting up of an abattoir, a leather processing project, a cotton ginnery or a honey processing factory site. Tangaza will then tour these sites and help the county in clearly defining functional business models for the sustainability of these projects.

Other areas of cooperation as per the deal include:

Building the capacity of individuals under the Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO);

Business and Entrepreneurship training; Civic and Development Education Training; Community capacity building for sustainable development; Servant Leadership and Transformation Managerial Training.

Governor Kibwana said the motivation behind this agreement is to improve service delivery by training people especially staff to implement development projects and programs focussing on people and to be facilitators of development as opposed to being ‘bosses’.

MAKUENI SURGICAL CAMP ATTRACTS PATIENTS FROM 6 OTHER COUNTIES.

The ongoing surgical camp at Makueni County Referral Hospital has drawn patients from across the country, including Nairobi, Kajiado, Meru, Kiambu, Kitui, and Machakos counties.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr who witnessed the surgeries reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to expanding medical outreach programs, vowing to bring more initiatives like this to Makueni in order to alleviate the burden of hospital bills for residents.He said this will go along way in promoting the county as a medical tourism destination.

The camp, organized by the Department of Health Services and the Surgical Society of Kenya, includes a team of specialists from Tanzania, members of the Rotary Club of Nairobi, and other key partners.

Over 100 patients are expected to undergo surgeries by the end of the week.

Prof. Paul Odula, President of the Surgical Society of Kenya, shared that the team has treated a variety of conditions, including goiters, hernias, cataracts, hearing impairments, and prostate issues.

Makueni sub-county development Tour.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr on Thursday accompanied by Lucy Mulili (Deputy Governor), Dan Maanzo (Senator), Doughlas Mbilu (Speaker), various MCAs during his day long development tour of Makueni sub-county visited ongoing medical camp at Kanthuni Market.
The camp has been offering health education talk on:
1. Cervical cancer
2. Kidney failure
3. General health
Lab services and diabetes screening, dental services, malnutrition screening, dispensing of drugs , Counseling services among other services.
250 people were screened for various ailments.
 
 
 

MAKUENI STRIKING NURSES SIGN RETURN-TO-WORK DEAL

The Makueni County Government on Wednesday reached a breakthrough with striking nurses and midwives after signing a return-to-work formula, ending weeks of a nationwide industrial standoff that began on August 8.

The agreement was sealed at the County premises in Wote, with officials from the Kenya National Union of Nurses and Midwives (KNUNM), County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Health Joyce Mutua, Public Service Board Chair Dr. Nicodemus Muteti and Health Services Chief Officer Dr. Harvey Mulei in attendance.

Addressing the press after the signing, Makueni KNUNM Chapter Chair Damiano Muriuki urged all striking nurses and midwives to report back to their stations immediately.

He appreciated governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr for converting all nurses who were on contract to permanent and pensionable terms.

Muriuki emphasized that the industrial action was driven by demands for improved welfare, including securing permanent and pensionable terms for nurses employed under the Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program.

On her part, CECM Mutua reassured the union of the county’s commitment, pledging to fast-track implementation of key resolutions agreed upon in the deal.

The return-to-work formula now sets the stage for normalcy in Makueni’s health facilities, restoring critical services that had been disrupted for nearly two weeks.

MAKUENI STRENGTHENS MANGO MARKET LINKAGES TO BOOST FARMER INCOMES

With an annual mango productionl estimated at over 200 million Kilograms, the Department of Agriculture is intensifying efforts to ensure farmers gain better returns from their produce.

On Friday, the Department of Agriculture hosted Ward Administrators from across the county to discuss practical approaches to improving mango offtake and market access.

During the forum, it emerged that the Makueni County Fruit Development and Marketing Authority (MCFDMA) has been allocated 860 metric tonnes for purchase this season, with more than 700 metric tonnes already off taken.

While attending the meeting, Agriculture CECM Elizabeth Muli emphasized the importance of organized farmer groups, noting that exporters and processors largely source mangoes through cooperatives.

Further, administrators were urged to mobilize farmers into joining cooperatives within their wards and actively link them to buyers.

The forum, attended by Governor’s Political Advisor Nzioki King’ola, Chief Officers Dr. Victoria Kyalo (Agriculture), Dr. Jossylyn Nzilani (Trade) and Japheth Kiminza (Livestock), and MCFDMA CEO Joseph Kioko, aimed at strengthening coordinated marketing to empower farmers and enhance household incomes.

MAKUENI UPSCALES NEONATAL CARE SERVICES WITH THE COMMISSIONING OF A MODERN NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE UNIT

In a major stride toward reducing neonatal deaths, the County Government of Makueni has unveiled a fully equipped Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) at the Mother and Child Hospital, developed in partnership with ENI Kenya.

The modern facility is outfitted with cutting-edge medical equipment, including incubators, syringe pumps, blood pressure monitors, suction machines, photo boxes, pulse oximeters, radiant baby warmers, glucometers, stethoscopes, medication trolleys, baby cots, vital signs monitors, bilirubinometers, hygrometers, non-invasive ventilators, cardiac monitors, and CPAP machines.

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr., who presided over the launch, lauded the partnership as a key milestone in improving maternal and child health outcomes.

He noted that the newly installed technology would greatly enhance the quality and efficiency of newborn care, emphasizing that the healthcare team has already undergone specialized training fully sponsored by ENI Kenya on neonatal intensive care and use of the advanced machines.

ENI Kenya Managing Director Daniella Morra commended the collaboration with Makueni County, affirming the company’s commitment to supporting healthcare advancement in the region.

The establishment of the NICU marks a significant milestone in Makueni’s journey toward accessible, high-quality healthcare for all, reaffirming the county’s leadership in innovative public health initiatives.

MAKUENI STORMS KYISA 2025 IN HOMA BAY WITH A BANG!

Makueni County has made an emphatic statement at the ongoing Kenya Youth Inter-county Sports Association (KYISA) games in Homa Bay, with her teams across multiple disciplines delivering impressive performances that have established them as serious title contenders.

The men’s football team set the tone early, pulling off a stunning 1-0 victory against defending champions Busia in their opening match. They followed this with a hard-fought 1-1 draw against Wajir to comfortably secure a place in the quarterfinals. 

Taking cue from their male counterparts, Makueni’s women footballers fought hard in their opening match to earn a 1-1 draw against neighboring Kitui before producing a commanding 2-0 victory over Kajiado that booked their spot in the semifinals.

On the basketball court, the women’s team provided one of the tournament’s most thrilling moments, edging Siaya 48-47 in a nail-biting encounter that went down to the wire. 

The men’s volleyball team also made their mark with a convincing 3-1 win against Nyeri, though the women’s volleyball team suffered a 3-0 setback against a strong Nandi side in their opener.

With multiple teams advancing deep into the knockout stages, Makueni County has firmly established itself as one of the teams to beat at this year’s KYISA games.

MAKUENI STIRRING UP CHANGE IN DAIRY FARMING

Makueni County is steadily turning its dairy farming dream into a reality through targeted programs designed to transform the sector into a major income earner and nutrition booster for local households.

During a dairy farmer’s day held at Makiou Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society on Thursday, it was revealed that with the current milk production of about 40 million litres annually in Makueni, the county still imports milk to meet its demand.

However, the county government has turned this gap into an opportunity—rolling out a set of long-term solutions through its Dairy Development Strategy underpinned by four pillars: Improved dairy breeds, Better livestock nutrition, Robust disease management and Modern milk aggregation and marketing systems

During the field day, Agriculture Chief Officer Japheth Kiminza shared how Agriculture Department is taking bold steps to grow the dairy sector from the ground up. Kiminza noted that the county is focused on strengthening the entire dairy value chain to benefit farmers directly.

Among key programs by the county government in place to support this goal include subsidized Artificial Insemination (AI) initiative to help farmers access quality breeds at affordable rates, and the introduction of Makueni Animal Feeds Development Strategy which ensures year-round access to nutritious livestock feed.

In the event that was attended by the Cooperative’s chairperson Paul Wasanga, the Chief Officer noted that the Livestock Department is running a robust vaccination campaign against major dairy diseases, alongside regular farmer training sessions on best dairy practices—making dairy farming both productive and sustainable.

Additionally, the county government has invested heavily in boosting dairy farming by supporting local cooperatives with a good number of the 18 dairy cooperatives spread across the county receiving vital equipment such as milk coolers, pasteurizers, transport vehicles, electricity connections and even mini-processing plants.

Notably, Kikima and Kathonzweni Dairy Cooperatives are among those benefiting from these upgrades.

These improvements are helping farmers handle milk better, maintain quality and earn more from their produce.

As the county celebrated the strides made in dairy farming, it was noted that partnerships with development agencies like the World Bank (through NAVCDP and DRIVE) and FAO have emmensely contributed towards helping scale up feed security and commercialization.

This year’s theme, “Makueni is investing in its farmers, its children’s nutrition, and its future through dairy,” reflects Governor Mutula’s commitment to improving lives by ensuring food security, growing household incomes, empowering communities and promoting agro-industrial growth across the county.

The CO urged dairy farmers to step up and showcase their achievements at the upcoming Makueni Agricultural Show in early August.

MAKUENI STEPS UP WATER GOVERNANCE REFORMS

Makueni’s Water and Sanitation Department is spearheading a series of governance reforms in the county’s Water Service Providers to ensure residents have access to reliable and sufficient water.

On Wednesday, the County Executive Committee Member for Water, John Kieti, met with the leadership of KIMAWASCO in Kibwezi to address the company’s operational challenges, including the loss of 52 percent of water supplied in the form of unaccounted-for water.

The department is employing a multi-pronged approach to combat this issue, including securing funds to automate all water draw-off points, reducing commercial water supply losses, and enacting a water act that will criminalize infrastructure vandalism.