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MAKUENI TOPS NATIONAL RANKINGS IN GENDER AND DISABILITY INCLUSION.

Makueni County has once again been named the top-performing county in Gender and Disability Mainstreaming for 2025, cementing its reputation as a leader in inclusive and equitable development.

The award, received by Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili during a gala dinner held on Thursday evening in Nairobi, recognises institutions that deliberately integrate gender equality and disability inclusion into planning, service delivery and decision-making processes to ensure no one is left behind.

In her keynote address, Mulili said the recognition reflects Makueni’s unwavering commitment to building a society where inclusion is not an afterthought but a foundation for sustainable development.

She noted that the county has prioritised deliberate interventions that empower women, youth and persons with disabilities to participate meaningfully in economic, social and governance processes.

Gender and Disability Directorate Council Executive Director Dr Richard Nasong’o commended the Government of Kenya for making notable progress in policy development and legislation aimed at safeguarding the rights of women and persons with disabilities.

Also in attendance was the County Executive Committee Member for Gender, Youth, Children, Sports and Social Services, Eng. Sebastian Kyoni.

MAKUENI TO SHOWCASE CLIMATE-SMART INNOVATIONS.

Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr today met with a technical team to review preparations for the Timbuktoo Green Future Hackathon, where Makueni is one of five pilot counties selected to showcase climate-smart innovations. The October 2025 event, led by Konza Technopolis, UNDP, and partners, seeks to empower youth-driven solutions to climate change.

Launched in December 2024 by President William Ruto, the Timbuktoo GreenTech Hub aims to support 10,000 African startups over the next decade, focusing on renewable energy, climate adaptation, and waste management. Makueni has formed a multi-sectoral team to coordinate participation.

Governor Kilonzo said the initiative will position Makueni as a hub for green innovation, with plans to mobilize startups, identify climate challenges, and incubate winning solutions.

MAKUENI TO SET UP CROP PROTECTION UNIT

Wote: April 24, 2024

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr receives a consignment of assorted agricultural chemicals and equipment from the Ministry of Agriculture, in Wote, for pests management and control of crop diseases.

Governor Mutula has directed the Department of Agriculture to set up a rapid response crop protection unit to help farmers manage pests and control crop diseases for enhanced food security.

He was accompanied by Agriculture Executive Joyce Mutua.

MAKUENI TO ROLL OUT NEW DIGITAL SYSTEM TO CURB MEDICINE THEFT

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr. has announced that Makueni County will roll out a new system to monitor the administration of medicine in public health facilities, in a move aimed at sealing corruption loopholes and enhancing transparency in the health sector.

The governor said the system, which will track the distribution and use of drugs across county facilities, is designed to weed out theft and misuse of medical supplies.

On healthcare infrastructure, he outlined ongoing investments, including the construction of a Sh34 million hospital in Kambu and a Sh70 million facility in Kibwezi, with another project in Kinyambu in the pipeline. He said the county’s Universal Health Coverage (UHC) program is intended to ease the financial burden of healthcare, which continues to disproportionately affect low-income households.

The governor spoke in Nzayo, Ivingoni/Nzambani Ward, during the burial of Onesmus Kyalo Maitha, who was eulogized as a hardworking and community-conscious individual. Governor Mutula also pledged support for the education of the late Kyalo’s children.

Late Kyalo lost his life through a tragic accident.

MAKUENI TO ROLL OUT LIVESTOCK INSURANCE PROJECT

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries, and Cooperative Development in Makueni County on Thursday held a successful stakeholder engagement forum on the roll-out of a livestock insurance project dubbed DRIVE (Derisking, Inclusion, and Value Enhancement of Pastoral Economies) project.

This project aims to sensitize livestock farmers in the county’s dry areas about the importance of livestock insurance, which supports sustaining livestock during droughts by providing feeds and water.

50 community mobilizers, primarily youth farmers, have been selected to register livestock farmers for insurance and educate them on marketing strategies.

County Executive Committee Member Joyce Mutua said the program, in partnership with the World Bank, reflects the County Government’s commitment to support livestock farmers for sustainable and optimum livestock production.

Makueni to Roll out Countywide Mass Livestock Vaccination program

The County Government of Makueni through the Department of Agriculture, Irrigation, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development is set to roll out a mass vaccination program in March, targeting at least 200,000 livestock across the county.
The livestock diseases targeted for vaccination include foot and mouth disease, Lumpy skin disease in cattle while sheep and goats will be vaccinated for contagious pneumonia and goat plague
Currently, the department has prioritized vaccination of dairy cows due to their vulnerability ahead of the mass vaccination.
According to Agriculture CEC Joyce Mutua, the exercise is being implemented in partnership with Dairy Farmers Cooperative Society Limited and aims at increasing household incomes of dairy farmers in Makueni through reduction of livestock disease outbreaks.
The Cooperative is facilitating the aggregation of animals at a central point for vaccination as well link the vaccinators to farmers who prefer vaccination of the animals in their own crushes and homes.
On its part, the county government is conducting farmer sensitization on livestock disease control and other veterinary matters, and coordinating the procurement, collection, storage and delivery of livestock vaccines
Mutua, however, adds that the services will be accessed at a subsidized fee of Sh. 50. Per animal.

Makueni To Plant 1.2M Trees by 2026

Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr on Tuesday led Makueni residents in celebrating International Day of Forests by spearheading restoration of Mbitini location tree cover. The area has for years witnessed formation of life-threatening gullies and flash floods following wanton destruction of tree cover.
County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Urban Planning, Environment and Climate Change Dr. Sonia Nzilani has said the county will plant and grow at least 1.2M trees by the year 2026 in partnership with Mastercard Foundation to restore environmentally degraded lands in Makueni.
As part of a long-term strategy towards environmental conservation, the department is training and establishing environmental clubs in at least 18 schools to promote environmental education and greening programs.
The event was staged at Masokani County Technical Training Institute in Mbitini ward, Makueni Sub-county.
 
 

MAKUENI TO PILOT THE NATIONAL ANIMAL HEALTH AND BREEDING PROGRAM

Makueni County has been selected by the National Government to pioneer the National Animal Health and Breeding Program, Agriculture and Livestock Executive Committee Member Joyce Mutua has announced.

 The initiative, a nationwide effort, aims to bolster livestock health through extensive vaccination drives and the promotion of superior breeding practices.

Mutua said Makueni’s selection was due to its outstanding record in conducting annual vaccination campaigns, integral to its broader strategy of combating livestock diseases.

Once the breeding quality is enhanced, the county plans to shield livestock from adverse weather conditions by providing insurance coverage.

Mutua spoke on Thursday during the launch of this year’s livestock vaccination program in Nguu Masumba Ward, Kibwezi-West Sub-county.

This year’s vaccination schedule will focus on protecting cattle from Foot and Mouth Disease, Lumpy Skin Disease, and Rift Valley fever, while goats will be safeguarded against Contagious Caprine Pleuropneumonia. Poultry will also receive vaccinations against NewCastle Disease.

The vaccination program will span 485 vaccination sites, targeting over 15,000 households, with the overarching objective of eradicating priority livestock diseases within the county.

Dr. Daniel Ksee, the County Veterinary Officer present at the event, reported that Makueni has successfully vaccinated more than 400,000 livestock, including cattle, sheep, and goats, over the past three years.

Makueni to pilot Telemedicine health provision

By Onesmus Nzioka

Makueni has yet again made enviable strides in its healthcare provision by venturing into Telemedicine.

Telemedicine is the remote delivery of healthcare services, such as health assessments or consultations over the telecommunications infrastructure.

The program, launched at Thange Africa Brotherhood Church, Thange ward, is a brainchild of the ABC church through the National Council of Churches of Kenya in partnership with the government of Makueni County.

The program, dubbed Comprehensive Community Healthcare Initiative (CCHI), was unveiled by ABC Archbishop in charge of East Africa Timothy Ndambuki and governor Kivutha Kibwana on Wednesday.

The program entails a mobile internet linked multi diagnosis kit based at Thange and doctors based at the Makueni County Referral Hospital, who are linked into the system through installed software on their side.

The system is both web and android based such that enlisted doctors will get alerts of booked cases from the remote health centre on their mobile phones as per their schedules of assigned duties.

Patients will walk into the Thange health facility, their diagnosis carried out by a resident nurse and the results relayed in real time to the doctors who will then analyze and prescribe the proper medication to be administered by the nurse at Thange.

For complicated cases, the system enlisted doctors will be able to seek further consultations from more qualified doctors across the globe on behalf of their patients.

Patients will also have a face-to-face consultation with the doctors, through teleconferencing, who will then direct the resident nurse(s) on what tests to carry out.

Governor Kibwana has directed the county health department to dedicate a unit for the telemedicine program on a 24-hour basis to make it work.

County Health Executive Andrew Mulwa has announced that all the county level 4 hospitals will be linked into the program so as to address a broad range of health services.

Makueni Launches Telemedicine

According to Archbishop Ndambuki, the program will be rolled out in the whole of Ukambani under the South Eastern Kenya Economic Bloc (SEKEB) if it succeeds in Makueni.

The program is enabled by a digital communication network and applications provider registered in Kenya under the name DIGLOSO run by a US based Kenyan named John Musau.

Makueni has officially signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the company for extensive roll out of the program.

MAKUENI TO PILOT LIFESAVING MATERNAL NUTRITION PROGRAMME

Deputy Governor Lucy Mulili on Friday morning hosted officials from Vitamin Angels for a courtesy call at the Governor’s Office ahead of the national launch of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation (MMS) at Makindu Sub County Hospital.

The delegation was led by the organization’s Vice President, Jimmy Grattan.

The visit comes as Kenya prepares to roll out MMS in line with the World Health Organization’s 2020 antenatal care guidelines, which recommend the introduction of Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation.

The supplement comprises 15 essential vitamins and minerals, including iron and folic acid, aimed at improving maternal and child health outcomes.

Makueni County has been selected as the first to pilot the systematic integration of MMS into antenatal care services.

The initiative is guided by implementation science and anchored on locally driven solutions, positioning the county at the forefront of advancing maternal nutrition interventions in the country.