News

Makueni holds first Land Conference to address Land Issues

The National Government will work with the County to expedite the issuance of title deeds in order to address land ownership problems in Makueni County.

Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana and Chief Administrative Secretary (CAS) for Lands Gideon Mung’aro said the two levels of government have resolved to work together to deal with the problems affecting thousands of residents in Makueni who own land but have struggled for years to access documentation.

“We have people here who own huge chunks of land. They have owned such land for years but have never acquired land titles,” Prof Kibwana said.

The governor and the CAS were speaking at the ATC Kwa Kathoka in Makueni where they joined hundreds of delegates in the county’s first Annual Land Conference.

He said the county recently launched a programme to support the issuance of 53,000 titles to locals as part of his government’s strategy to iron out the outstanding land problems in the county.

Prof Kibwana said: “The trouble here is that majority of people facing problems with land documentation are also very poor people who cannot afford the prohibitive charges being levied.”

He said landlords in most of Makueni’s urban areas are unable to access financial facilities using land they own as they don’t have official ownership documents.

The governor also decried land grabbing menace by powerful individuals and appealed to the ministry of lands to help reclaim a piece of land grabbed from the Makindu stadium by a senior public officer.

“Someone has grabbed land in Makindu.We have even written to him as county and he goes bragging that we are a small entity and therefore we can do nothing. The government should help us reclaim the grabbed piece of land,” Prof Kibwana pleaded.

Speaking at the event Mr Mung’aro ordered the ministry staff to work with their county colleagues to ensure reclamation of the Makindu stadium land.

“We will send out officers on Monday to look into the grabbing of the stadium. At the moment we don’t tolerate such acts, no one is allowed to use their big offices to execute grabbing of public property,”Mr Mung’aro said.

Mr Mung’aro also warned corrupt land officers that they will be dealt with ruthlessly following complaints that some were demanding bribes before offering services to the public.

“We have had complaints about some of our officers. I want to summon all of them to come to Nairobi on Monday, so that they can share with us what their problems are,” the CAS said.

He announced that the national government will in the next three months issue an additional 67,000 land title deeds to residents of Makueni County who have for long lived as squatters in their own land.

Ngai Ndethya, Ngiluni, Mbetwani, Kiboko A, B and C are among some of the settlement areas with major outstanding land problems that have hindered issuance of titles for years.

Makueni County Land ECM Joshua Wambua whose department hosted the event said several land clinics were held across the county culminating into the land conference.

“We have held quite a number of clinics.We do believe that the conference we have had today will in a way resolve some of the problems we have faced even if not all,”Mr Wambua said.

Several land sector reform experts led by the Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Land Alliance Odenda Lumumba were among speakers at the event.

Makueni, Hivos sign MoU to check corruption in the County

Makueni has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Hivos international to adopt Open contracting and tame corruption in the county’s procurement processes.

Hivos is a humanitarian organization advocating for social justice through creative solutions to persistent global problems.

The MoU was signed by Makueni Governor Prof Kivutha Kibwana, who was accompanied by County Secretary Paul Wasanga and Hivos East African regional director Ms Mendi Njonjo at Wote, Makueni, Monday evening.

The MoU establishes a collaborative framework between the two organizations with a view to developing a viable programme taking a multifaceted approach in improving the quality of procurement processes for transparency and eradication of corruption.

Hivos, as part of the MoU, will assist the county government in capacity building on the open contracting approaches, principles and the Open Contracting Data Standard (OCDS) for designated officers and departments as well as Makueni Project Management Committees.

Ms Njonjo said this approach will assist Makueni in detecting fraud and corruption risks in public procurement while also entrenching fairer competition and a level playing ground for businesses.

Prof Kibwana hailed the open contracting system of procurement as the solution to the endemic corruption plaguing the country. He said the President and the national government should see it as a necessity to adopt this system as an antidote to corruption.

“There should be no secrecy on the expenditure of public money. Public procurement should be like an open shop where all that you sell is on open display,” said Prof Kibwana.

The governor lamented that some people were starting to feel threatened by the open and transparent governance his administration has adopted but said such people will have no place in Makueni.

“Some people think we’re too open that it is starting to threaten their dealings. It is time we all stood by President Uhuru Kenyatta and in one accord declare that Kenya and corruption cannot live together, one has to give way to the other, and that is corruption giving way to Kenya,” he said.

Prof Kibwana said the open contracting procurement system will outlive his administration in post 2022 as it would be presented to the assembly for ratification and anyone trying to reverse it would face the wrath of the public.

“As the governor, I will be more unrelenting in overseeing operationalisation of this MoU because it will bear fruits even long after my exit. No one will be able to undo the gains then,” Prof Kibwana said.

Makueni Healthcare workers receive PPEs from Safaricom, KCB

Makueni’s frontline healthcare workers on Friday received Personal Protective Equipment worth Sh 1.5 million from telecommunication giant Safaricom to boost their fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

The PPEs include 1,270 surgical gowns, 177 N-95 masks, 170 KN95 masks and 205 pieces of protective goggles.

Governor Kivutha Kibwana who received the donation on behalf of the county emergency response committee at his office said safaricom has been a key partner to several counties in the fight against the covid-19 pandemic.

Kibwana also received a cash donation of Sh 1 million from the Kenya Commercial Bank group to boost the county’s preparedness in fighting corona virus.

Besides the donation, Safaricom announced a Sh 2.2 million partnership with the county government to rebuild houses of 99 families affected by floods in the areas of Kilungu, Kaiti, Kitundu and Sultan Hamud.

MAKUENI HEALTH SERVICES DEPARTMENT ENGAGES PARTNERS FOR ENHANCED HEALTHCARE.

Makueni Health Services Department Engages Partners for Enhanced Healthcare.

Makueni’s health services docket has introduced a collaborative work plan involving 90 partners to streamline healthcare and prevent duplication in a meeting at Kusyombuguo hotel in Wote on Monday.

Acting County ExecutiveCommittee Member Elizabeth Muli outlined key focus areas such as automating commodity management, eradicating rabies, and establishing modern healthcare facilities among others.

Muli reiterated the county’s dedication to improving primary healthcare access and addressing various health challenges.She observed that the department has a responsibility to order medical supplies in time and avoid stock out.

She rallied healthcare workers in the county to actively contribute to improving the lives of residents,emphasizing the tangible impact required for achieving universal health coverage.

Damaris Kavoi, County Executive Committee Member for Finance, emphasized financial prudence and pledged support towards sustainable healthcare funding.

Among those in attendance were Chief officer health services Dr.Stephen Ndolo,CEO Martha Munyao of Makueni County Referral Hospital and Acting Director of Health Services Dr. Stephen Mwatha, among others.

MAKUENI HEALTH POLICY

The policy focuses on ensuring the delivery of quality healthcare services and embraces the principles of protection of the rights and fundamental freedoms of persons of special groups in the communities such as the right to health of children, persons with disabilities, youth, and older members of the society, in accordance with the 2010 Constitution. The policy also provides direction to support successes already achieved so as to improve the performance of the Makueni Healthcare system.

[wpdm_package id=7693 template=”link-template-calltoaction3.php”]
MAKUENI HEALTH POLICY
Loading…

MAKUENI HEALTH DEPT. AND THINKWELL REVIEW HPT MANAGEMENT, FOCUS ON OPTIMIZED FINANCING

The Department of Health Services, in partnership with ThinkWell, on Monday convened county pharmaceutical managers for a two day meeting aimed at reviewing the county’s customized Health Products and Technologies (HPT) management functions.

Thinkwell is an organization that helps low- and middle-income countries improve their healthcare systems to ensure everyone has access to affordable healthcare.

Their discussions focused on optimizing HPT financing, and refining data review mechanisms.

The organization has been instrumental in supporting Makueni by implementing effective health financing strategies that ensure sufficient resources are allocated to primary healthcare facilities.

Their approach involves aligning commodity financing with the specific needs of healthcare facilities and streamlining procurement processes through evidence-based methods.

MAKUENI HEALTH DEPARTMENT HOLDS WORKSHOP TO STRENGTHEN LABORATORY STANDARDS

The Department of Health Services, in partnership with Amref Health Africa Global Fund and CIHEB PACT Imara, has convened a five-day workshop bringing together laboratory staff from various health facilities across the county.

The Laboratory Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) Development Workshop seeks to enhance the quality and efficiency of laboratory operations and ensure compliance with updated regulatory frameworks, including the Laboratory Continuous Quality Improvement (LCQI) and ISO 15189:2022 standards.

Speaking during the training, County Executive Committee Member for Health Services, Joyce Mutua, applauded the laboratory professionals for their commitment to maintaining high service standards.

She underscored the vital role laboratories play in disease diagnosis and surveillance, emphasizing that accurate results are key to effective healthcare delivery.

By the end of the workshop, participants are expected to finalize revised SOPs for adoption and implementation across all county laboratories.

Makueni Hawkers Redefining Wealth Creation By Ordinary Folk

In 2015, the Makueni County Government spearheaded formation of the Makueni Hawkers Sacco bringing together all hawkers based in the county.

The Sacco, with 1,500 members then, was registered in February the same year and awarded two lorries as seed capital to ease transportation of their merchandise and to enhance wealth creation.

With a monthly savings of at least Sh 120,000 a month, and a membership of 2051 as of today, the Sacco has acquired a new lorry, and aims at acquiring three more such that each sub-county chapter has its own.

The new lorry was unveiled on Wednesday by governor Kivutha Kibwana, who pledged his government’s support in the acquisition of the planned trucks.

The Sacco, which has also ventured into loaning its members, had a loan portfolio of Sh 4.6 million as of December 30th 2018 audit report.

The Sacco, according to its leadership, also intends to venture into real estate development and water hawking through purchase of a water bowser as ways of business diversification.

MAKUENI HAS RELEASED 100 YOUNG PEOPLE TO THE JOB MARKET AFTER A YEAR-LONG HANDS-ON TRAINING THROUGH INTERNSHIPS.

The interns were placed in different county departments immediately after graduation to hone their skills and prepare for career progression.

Before their exit, the interns were on Thursday taken through a mentorship exercise including idea pitching, presentation skills, and mental health counselling.

County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for ICT, Education, and Internship Elizabeth Muli presided over the event held at the Makueni Integrated Vocational Empowerment Center.

Present also was CECM Lands, CECM Trade the chief officer of Education, and the Internship and Mentorship directorate who shared words of wisdom with the hopeful professionals.

MAKUENI HAS PARTNERED WITH HOPE MOBILITY KENYA TO ASSES AND PROVIDE MOBILITY DEVICES TO PHYSICALLY CHALLENGED PEOPLE IN THE COUNTY.

Through a collaboration framework signed by Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jnr and Hope Mobility Kenya Executive Director Jack Muthui Tuesday, those living with disabilities will undergo proper diagnosis to identify their challenges and receive appropriate assistive devices.

Governor Mutula is upbeat this will bring hope to physically challenged people who are often shunned by society and miss life growth opportunities.

The signing was witnessed by Gender and Social Services Executive Committee Member Nicholas Nzioka and Chief Officer Catherine Katuti, director of Gender Services and the county Disability Mainstreaming Officer.