Month: June 2018

27 Jun
By: CGK 0

FREE MEDICAL CAMP

First lady Edna Lenku was privileged to take part in a one-day free medical camp aimed at screening and treating Children with Autism and Celebralpalsy at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic Church in Nkaimurunya ward.

In Kajiado North, the Ngong Sub-County Hospital has a physiotherapist available to help in children cases of cerebral palsy. The data at Kajiado County of treated cases of Autism stands at (14) and Celebralpalsy (25) children. This only confirms the fear that most parents have hidden their kids at home.

They were able to register over 250 children brought by parents to access treatment and this is only in one sub-county. Going forward, the County Government will reach out to all SubCounties through the Department of Health to give the much needed care to the children.

The camp was being facilitated by a team of medical experts from Washington DC, USA. The first lady was joined by Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation CECM Hon. Esther Somoire, Mrs. Mpaayei, nominated MCA Hon Wachuka Mathenge and Mrs. Waishanguru.

The County Government of Kajiado is committed to achieving Universal Health Coverage through the elaborate manifesto and the subsequent implementation of programs being undertaken by the government

Read More
27 Jun
By: CGK 0

DEVELOPMENT SHARE AUGMENTED AS THE COUNTY IS SET TO ADDRESS FOOD SCARCITY.

Kajiado County Assembly has passed the 2018/19 budget estimates of shs.9,514,040,462 as presented by the County Executive Committee in charge of finance, Michael Semera. The budget estimates is increased from Sh.6,234,157,864 in last financial year.
The County Assembly lauded the CEC finance for increasing the development budget from 30 percent to 34 percent for the purpose of improving the livelihoods of the people. Kajiado County Assembly Speaker, Hon. Johnson Osoi, said the budget had unique features that will go a long way in seeing larger population of Kajiado benefit.
“This budget has the public at heart with unique ways of addressing the various challenges like food scarcity and improving the development allocation upwards which is key,” said Hon. Johnson Osoi.
“We are scaling up food production to fight continuous famine in the County by introducing household agricultural production. We are also revamping livestock production by allocating sh.96million for the purpose of hay production, ” said Michael Semera, adding that the allocation for livestock pegged for sh26million will be used to support dairy farming across the County.
The CEC finance also said that to tap into local youth talent the government has allocated whooping sh.30million to help in completion of the Ngong Stadium. He said youth and women have also been allocated sh.15million for the purpose of supporting their economic ventures.
Semera assured the Assembly that revenue collection will be scaled to sh1.58billion.
“We call for efficient implementation and fairness in award of contracts, the companies considered need to be properly supervised and deliver as required for the sake of the people, that is what is considered development,” said Hon Moses Saoyo Kusero.
Hon. Onesmus Ngogoyo lauded the CEC finance for increasing the development allocation to 47 per cent up from 30 per cent.

Read More
27 Jun
By: CGK 0

ETHICS AND ANTI-CORRUPTION COMMISSION REPORT

The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, EACC in its report has singled out the revenue collection system in Kajiado as the major contributor towards wanton corruption cases in the County.

The use of casual workers in collection of revenue exposes them to public coffers which most often than not they do not account for.

Speaking in Kajiado town today while launching a corruption risk assessment report, EACC Commissioner Dabar Abdi Maalim said since the onset of devolution there has been notable progress to report though a lot still needs to be done to seal corruption loopholes.

He admitted that the county revenue collection system has been a major worry that the Kajiado County Government had managed to put measures to address by placing county staff rather than casuals to man revenue collection points.

He lauded the efforts made by the county administration in initiating the implementation plans outlined by the draft report EACC had presented earlier.

“We will be following closely to see if the recommendations are followed to the latter and we expect to get feedback in the next one month,” Abdi remarked.

He further noted the irregular use of IFMIS authorization credentials by County staff as another loophole for corruption in the County.

On matters Human resource, the commissioner recommended that job descriptions for county staff be redefined for the proper placement of officers in their correct jobs.

Present at the launch was the Deputy Governor Martin Moshisho who welcomed the timely report together with its recommendations adding that the government was ready to act on the highlighted areas.

He intimated that over the next one month, the implementation plan will target key areas of Revenue collection, procurement and human resource as a way of streamlining government operations.

Moshisho said H.E. Joseph Ole Lenku had made it his undertaking to rid the county of corruption and the report by a he EACC would serve as a road map in this endeavor.

“We are committed to automate revenue collections because If we have a weak revenue collection system we will lose a lot of money as a county,” he warned.

Hon. Moshisho admitted that the IFMIS system has had technical challenges and called upon treasury and other stakeholders to reinforce the security options on the application.

“We inherited some operational challenges on staffing from the defunct local authority and we need more capacity building so that they can fit in their job descriptions and their roles,” he said.

The EACC has committed itself to champion the fight against corruption by leading from the front in streamlining work processes in Counties in line with the National Government’s resolve to rid the country of corruption as spearheaded by the president and his deputy.

 

Read More
23 Jun
By: CGK 0

PRESIDENT KENYATTA URGES SGR CONTRACTOR TO OBSERVE COMPLETION TIMELINES

President Uhuru Kenyatta challenged the contractor of the transformational Nairobi-Naivasha SGR line to stick to the June 2019 completion timeline.

President Kenyatta said he would like to use the SGR line next year on his way to Kajiado for Madaraka Day celebrations.

“We want to ride on the Nairobi-Naivasha SGR on May 31 next year, and then go to Kajiado for Madaraka Day the next day,” said President Kenyatta.

The President was speaking at Kyang’ombe (DK2 Project Site) in Nairobi where he witnessed the installation of bridge girders across the Nairobi National Park which is a critical part of the ongoing extension of the SGR line.

The 120km stretch was launched in October 2016 and will traverse five counties namely Nairobi, Kajiado, Kiambu, Nakuru and Narok, and is expected to be complete by June next year.

H.E the president was accompanied by Governor Joseph Ole Lenku, Transport and Infrastructure Cabinet Secretary James Macharia and other government officials.

Read More
19 Jun
By: CGK 0

NEW PASSENGER TRAIN LAUNCHED IN KAJIADO

H.E. Joseph Ole Lenku today launched a new passenger coach service to serve the Kajiado to Konza route at the TATA Chemicals Kajiado Railway Station. The carrier service that will run twice a week will have a carrying capacity of 150 passengers on board and is set to ease travel while reducing traffic along the road networks on the targeted routes.

Speaking during the launch, the Governor said the train service will ease transport, improve efficiency while opening up business opportunities for the communities along the railway and its destinations.

He lauded the partnership between his government and TATA Chemicals Magadi for such a milestone in the transport sector in Kajiado adding that such development oriented initiatives are historical and worth emulating by other corporate in the County.

“I would like to urge the people of Kajiado East to support TATA Chemicals Magadi if they find an opportunity to do so because they have made life much better for them,” said Lenku.

He said that already far flung areas like Emali had registered interest in having the passenger train service extended to reach them so that they can also benefit from the potential business gains it stood to offer.

At the same time Lenku assured the residents of Kajiado that plans are underway to repair roads and bridges that have been rendered impassable due to the recent heavy downpour. He intimated that the Ewuaso-Ngong-Kiserian-Isinya-Imaroro is set to be launched in the coming week and urged investors in the County to take advantage of this enhanced road network to do business while empowering the people.

On his part the Deputy Governor Martin Moshisho challenged corporate investors to partner with the County government in development projects adding that it is such initiatives that are key in uplifting the livelihoods of the people.

“Every company in Kajiado has a special role to join hands with the County Government in service delivery to the people of this County,” he said.

Moshisho said TATA Chemical has paved the way for other corporate bodies within the county to build meaningful connections with the community and urged them to follow suit.

Speaking at the ceremony, the MD of Tata Chemicals Magadi Eng. Jackson Mbui stated that as a company, the provision of the rail passenger coach service between Kajiado and Konza will hopefully empower the local community as well as provide savings in both time and money for commuters.

“Our hope is that this coach service will also foster development in the Kajiado area, opening up trade and commerce avenues for the county as a whole,” he concluded.

Also present at the function was TATA Chemicals Magadi Managing Director Jackson Muchira Mbui, County Executive Committee Members, National Government representatives, Members of County Assembly led by Magadi Ward MCA, Hon. Joseph Masiaya among others.

The Governor and the leadership later rode the maiden train ride from Kajiado to Konza Market where they addressed the elated residents highlighting to them the key development gains of the public-private partnership that has borne the commuter service train.

 

 

Read More
19 Jun
By: CGK 0

LAUNCH OF COMMUTER TRAIN

H.E Joseph Ole Lenku will today launch the commuter train at Kajiado Railway from 9.00 A.M.

Then take a maiden trip to Konza where he will address the residents at Konza market at 12:00 P.M.

This is a public-private partnership between County Government of Kajiado and TATA chemicals Magadi.

Read More
06 Jun
By: CGK 0

PRESS RELEASE AFTER A SPECIAL EXECUTIVE MEETING HELD ON 6TH JUNE 2018

H.E the Governor today had a special meeting with the executive and gave the following directives

  1. Having considered the cost of buying and maintaining goods and services such as vehicles and heavy machinery Vis a Vis leasing, He directed all Departments to shift to leasing as opposed to buying. This should be in line with the relevant provision of law including the Public Procurement and Disposals Act.
  2. That in actualizing His policy of women empowerment, H.E directed that all opportunities in public institutions in the County, including schools and hospitals, where unskilled labor is required be given to the rural women. These opportunities include making porridge for schools under the schools feeding program, cleaning of dispensaries and hospitals and markets just to mention a few.
  3. That persons or communities living along the Nolturesh pipeline must be on drip irrigation. This is a view to attaining food security.
  4. The State of Devolution Address was made on the 4th June 2018.Each Department will pick the best practices on devolution, relevant to the department and implement the same.
  5. A passenger train services line between Konza and Kajiado has been developed and the train will be making its maiden trip and test run on the 19th June 2018.H.E the Governor will flag off this event. The line is expected to open up the transport network for Kajiado East.
Read More
05 Jun
By: CGK 0

THE STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR, JOSEPH OLE LENKU

THE STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE GOVERNOR,

JOSEPH OLE LENKU,

TO THE SECOND SESSION OF THE SECOND ASSEMBLY

5TH JUNE 2018

KAJIADO

Hon. Speaker!

Hon Members of County Assembly,

It is an honor and privilege to serve in this coveted leadership role, and a wonderful moment for me to deliver my first State of the County Address as your Governor of our great County of Kajiado. I appreciate the commitment and our shared unique perspectives on the various aspects of development affecting us.

The State of the County Address is basically a performance report of the County Executive Committee and public service to the County Assembly for consideration. It is an opportunity for us all to highlight our accomplishments and progress on our plans, in cognizant of the challenges and improvement to be made going into the 2018/2019 Financial Year; The first for my government. It is also an opportunity for us to lay bare our foundation for the desired developmental agenda, going forward.

I cherish working with you as a team to set policy and make decisions, and deliver services that impact on the lives of the people of Kajiado County.

As I present these accomplishments, I acknowledge the partnership and collaboration of our County Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Honorable Johnson Osoi.

I also acknowledge the strong support of the national government, under the leadership of His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, represented in this County, by the County Commissioner, Mr. David Kipkemei. I further appreciate the support I have been accorded by other county leaders among them our Members of Parliament. Our solidarity and show of unity has made Kajiado an envy of other counties.

Today, we can take comfort in the fact that through our complementary efforts as the executive and legislative branches of our Government, we are able to make substantial progress towards promoting the well-being of the people of Kajiado County. Notwithstanding the challenges on the way, our County will continue to move forward along the path of inclusive development.

While a journey towards a more perfect society in an imperfect world can never be complete, our own progress continues to be marked by measurable milestones contained in our long-term Vision 2030, National Development Plans, the Sustainable Development Goals and our County Integrated Development Plan II.

As enjoined by Section 30(1)(k) of the County Government Act, the State of the County Address accords opportunity to the Governor to account to the County on how far we have come as a people. This Address will account on the implementation status of developmental programs at the County Level for the period under review, and inform priorities for the year ahead against the thematic pillars of:

Effective Governance and Service Delivery;

Economic advancement;

Social progression; and

Infrastructure Development .

In my address to the people of Kajiado in various fora, I have repeatedly stated that I envision a strong, united, inclusive and prosperous Kajiado County; A haven of peace and refuge for all its residents and a jewel of Kenya.

Theme of the SOCA

My Government is keen to see effective, efficient and radical implementation of programs that will ensure our communities receive the service they deserve.

Mr. Speaker Sir, on the back of a firm commitment of making our future work better, the theme of the 2018 State of the County Address is;

Leading with integrity towards an inclusive economy for targeted and effective service delivery to improve the quality of life.

Kajiado within the National and International Context

Mr. Speaker Sir,

Honorable Members

As a County aspiring to be an important gateway down South and up North, we have to be alive to international developments that have an impact on our County. We also understand that although matters of international relations are within the ambit of the National Government Policy, international events do have a significant impact on our County.

We are, therefore, noting with great interest, the latest development related to the World Bank Projects that our County has benefited from, among them the establishment of our two municipalities of Kajiado and Ngong and the Kitengela bus park. This shows investor confidence in us. I, therefore, undertake to ensure good governance linked with sound and prudent financial and fiscal management, leadership with integrity, as we contribute to a climate conducive for investment confidence. We reaffirm our resolve to pursue vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Speaker Sir, I reaffirm my resolve to deliver a County that can contribute to the realization of the Country’s Vision as advocated in Vision 2030. I have aligned the County Integrated Development Plan II 2018-2022 (CIDP) with Vision 2030, my manifesto and the Sustainable Development Goals as espoused by the Countries of the World all geared towards ending poverty and enjoying peace and prosperity.

We must be reminded that the CIDP and Vision 2030 are simply not government strategies but a collective commitment and a social contract between the government and her people.

Update on Flagship Projects

As I took over office as your Governor, I asked myself what a flagship program is. I inherited several flagship programs from my predecessor, which ended up being projects that were either incomplete or were yet to begin. It has been the norm that with every dispensation, new ideologies and new manifestos are brought forth.

The challenge is whether to abort the old and bring in the new. In keeping with the prudential guidelines and financial integrity, my Government has taken upon itself to define what a flagship program is. In discussing the legislative agenda, I am later in my legislative agenda calling on this Honorable House to legislate and provide a criteria for the definition of flagships.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND LOOKING FORWARD

Growing an inclusive economy

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of this House, I acknowledge that the Youth form approximately 60 per cent of the population of this County. Many of them remain unemployed within the context of slow international and national economic growth.

The Youth remain unemployed, not because they don’t have the motivation, the ambition nor the energy: But the real barriers facing our young people are inexperience, lack of specific employment skills and lack of opportunities. This cycle of “no job, no experience or “no experience, and no job” can be broken with appropriate government and private sector interventions and society collaboration.

One such collaboration is our partnership with the KCB Foundation that I challenge other corporates and investors in the County to emulate. In this Ksh 100 Million program, where our contribution will be Ksh 50 Million every year, we shall use an integrated approach for prioritization of youth employment and empowerment programs and initiatives for maximizing the positive impact of the outcomes.

1,000 Youth will undergo vocational training and be handheld through an entrepreneurship start up program that will see them start, strengthen and execute their business ideas. This is a program that I intend to see grow throughout my tenure. It has already kicked off with 300 out of the 1,000 targeted youth this year reporting for training at our host institution-The Masai Technical Training Institute. 700 more will be enrolled in the next three months.

My Government will create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive that will in turn create employment opportunities for our youth. I will continue to promote a culture of entrepreneurship to develop and sustain youth labor that is market relevant and ready while taking advantage of the emerging sectors.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Hon Members

Majority of our County’s population lives in the rural areas. Without good access to markets, an ordinary household cannot market its produce, obtain inputs, sell labor, obtain credit, learn about or adopt new technologies, insure against risks, or even obtain goods at low prices.

Equally important, it cannot use its scarce resources like land and labor efficiently. It is for this reason that in trade, my main objective is to improve access of agricultural produce to markets so as to create the conditions for ordinary residents to overcome poverty.

I have made infrastructural contributions as well as strategic and policy interventions that will strengthen the market position of small farmers and traders to make a pathway out of rural poverty. Reforms will be made along the market chain to make it more competitive and efficient, but this will not automatically create benefits for the poor.

In infrastructural development, my Government has received a Ksh 800 Million grant from the World Bank towards the construction of the Ngong Market. This will see the County developing a state of the Art structure that will house over 1,200 traders. This means that the hawker and trader selling his or her wares outside will have access to facilities that shelter them from the harsh weather conditions. The infrastructure will also provide amenities such as banking halls; SACCOs just to name a few. This should see growth in a holistic way of trading. In the same breath the Kiserian, Loitokitok, Namanga and Ole Kesasi markets are under my radar. The same can be said about our livestock markets in Bisil and Emali.

Hon Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

On policy reforms, my government is advocating for new high-value agricultural market chains thus linking the farmer/ producer to the market/ consumer. Agricultural value chain has been said to be a game changer especially for the smallholder farmers and businesses. We are keen on taking advantage of opportunities offered by our proximity to Nairobi City County.

In this life changing value chain enterprises front, we are humbled by the selection of Kajiado County as a host to a Ksh 10 Billion leather processing plant in Isinya, Kajiado East Sub County, which is part of the National Government’s Big Four Agenda under the Manufacturing sector. This will immensely transform the incomes of our livestock farmers as well as create thousands of jobs within the County.

Our Small and Micro enterprises and cooperative development and support programs provide the mainstay of our quest for enterprise development to broaden participation in a growing economy. A policy on investment is at an advanced stage to engage fruitfully with various investors to identify opportunities for investment.

My government is also specifically developing a policy of promoting equal and active participation of women (e.g. management training, financial services, upgrading of skills) so as to empower our women and remove them from the throes of marginalization. I’m aware that the Cooperatives Bill had been tabled in the 1st August House but was not assented to. My Government will therefore work to bring the Bill back for debate and enactment.

Mr Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Our tourism has always been wildlife based. But the very assets that underpin this wildlife-based tourism – the wildlife itself – are under severe threat. The threats come from a multitude of sources: habitat loss, pollution, infrastructure, climate change, over-exploitation and illegal trade, the most immediate threat to wildlife. If we lose the wildlife, we lose the wildlife-based tourism and the jobs that go with it.

I challenge wildlife authorities to create incentives for communities that neighbor game parks and private ranches to provide habitats to wildlife. The current hostility between our communities and wildlife emanates from the former not benefitting from their wildlife. And I repeat, “their wildlife”. The continued lack of compensation for lives lost and property destroyed by wildlife remains a thorny issue that must be addressed.

My Government has documented over 25 things that you can do in Kajiado. This is with a view to expanding our tourism beyond wildlife and see Kajiado as a haven for rich touristic attractions. Kajiado scores high on natural and cultural resources. Though some aspects of our tourism infrastructure remain underdeveloped, my Government will therefore develop the tourism policy for the development and promotion of Tourism in Kajiado.

Recently, we were privileged to host the Kenya Pastoralists Week, an event that saw over 1,000 visitors from all over Kenya, including policy makers, discuss and develop approaches to building on the pastoralists knowledge, traditional organizations and social networks with a view to contributing to sustainable management of their sparsely populated marginal areas.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Culture ensures unity in diversity, influences identity, debate and dialogue. Culture is the fountain of our progress and creativity and must be carefully nurtured to grow and develop. I hold our culture close to my heart.

I have therefore set aside funds in the next financial year to document and articulate the specific ways in which the Maasai culture can contribute to sustainable development and our national pride.

It is for this reason that this morning, I unveiled a Task Force to carry out this mandate and it will be chaired by our renown scholar, Dr Naomi Kipuri. Further to this I wish to announce that the Maa Cultural Festival will be an annual event. In this regard, I direct the CEC responsible for Culture to immediately kick start action plans that will raise this event to International Standards in the forthcoming years.

With regard to Human Resources, Mr. Speaker Sir, a paradigm shift is long overdue. The focus will now be more on contract employment geared towards achieving targeted results rather than permanent and pensionable terms that have been discovered to breed unproductive individuals. This performance-based contractual system will be enhanced by commensurate reward system as well as benefits. In this regard, Mr. Speaker Sir, I direct that effective July 1, 2018, all officers from the level of director upwards, be put on performance contracts.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

On education, our focus must be on ensuring that there is a well-connected continuum in our education pipeline, from early childhood development, through to pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary education and through to workplace skills development and adult learning.

In this regard, the County Integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) Action Plan that is being developed by the Department of Education will contribute immensely to improve access to ECD services. We now have more than 40,000 children attending 710 ECD centres funded by my Government.

My Government understands the need to reduce the persistent high dropout rate of learners from grades 1 to 8 and even more so between primary school and high school. A situation where approximately 60% of learners entering grade 1 in any particular year, do not transit to Secondary School should not be accepted. This trend further worsens between Secondary and Tertiary Institutions.

This is not to apportion any blame to any individual stakeholder in our education system. It reflects a much broader societal challenge. In a society where our children and learners lose hope because even graduates are unemployed, what incentive is there for them to finish school.

I am not pleased with the matric results of the Class of 2017. Majority of our form four leavers attained grade D. The recent Education Stakeholders Workshop depicted Kajiado as a D + County. This grade is an impediment to their access to employment or effective competition in the job market. It will take the concerted effort of the entire community to see the improvement of our education sector.

Poor performance has over the years hampered future opportunities for our children.

This is not a situation we can endure, especially not with the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution on our doorstep. For the sake of our children, we must ensure that we create a stable environment for them to learn and prepare themselves for a bright future.

It is for this reason that I recently appointed a multi-agency Task Force to bring together sector players to seek a solution to this worrying situation. I acknowledge the support that I have received towards this cause from the Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission(TSC), Kenya National Union of Teachers(KNUT) who form part of this Task Force.

It is important to note that the County Government, through its bursary programme is contributing in a significant manner towards improvement of education. The Department of Education has allocated over Ksh 80 million for the next financial year to benefit approximately 2,000 bursaries.

We laud the National Government’s effort for a Fee-Free Higher Education for poor households and the potential impact this could have on our efforts to create youth employment and to eradicate poverty.

Some of the most significant interventions we are committed to pursue in the drive to improve our skills base in this County are to:

Undertake a skills audit to determine the skills shortages in key areas;

Ensure an appropriate “programme and qualification mix” at universities, Universities of Technology and TVETs to promote the production of professionals and academics;

Establish a data-base of graduates for employers to access; and to

Increase the number of youth work-integrated learning opportunities, such as those already mentioned above

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

The health of our people has a direct correlation on productivity. I have trained my eyes on our key referral units in Kajiado, Ngong, Ongata Rongai, Loitokitok, Mashuru, Ngatataek and Ewaso Oonkidongi. These facilities will continuously receive substantial resources to make them true referral hospitals. This work has begun in earnest and the residents of these areas can attest to this.

To ease the cost of healthcare, my Government has rolled out the implementation of universal healthcare through the registration and use of the National Hospital Insurance Fund. This will ensure that the people of Kajiado have accessible and affordable healthcare.

I have begun the ‘Mbuzi Moja Afya Bora’ program through which I’m encouraging every household to sell a goat so as to raise the annual fee to cover the NHIF annual fee.

I have also engaged over 70 nurses on contract and engaged 5 consultants across the sub counties to address the major shortage of healthcare personnel in the County. This week, through the National Government’s efforts, we expect the arrival of the 100 Cuban doctors in the Country, of which Kajiado County is a beneficiary of two specialists. This support will supplement the effort towards attainment of Universal Health Care as envisaged in the President’s Big Four Agenda. We fully back this initiative.

My Government will in the next financial year, beginning 1st July 2018, recruit 100 health personnel who will be deployed to various health facilities across the County.

My Government has made strides in improving access to health services and notable achievements include the following:

At least 50 percent of the population of Kajiado County is accessing basic health services within 5km radius due to construction and upgrading of dispensaries, health centers, clinics and hospitals.

31 clinics and health centers were constructed or upgraded, including a few clinics that were donated by the private sector and Non-Government institutions.

My Government is working to improve availability of medicines and medical supplies through the construction and equipping of a medical store. I have also ordered that the Department of Health installs a Real Time Medical Supplies Inventory Tracking System that will manage, monitor and control clinical supplies from their entry into a facility’s stockroom to the point of dispensing. At the end of April 2018, we had raised the average availability of vital drugs at our facilities to 80 percent.

My Government has been receiving support from Partners in the medical field. I would like to express my gratitude to AMREF, Global Fund, European Union (EU), and CDC, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), KOICA, United Nations (UN) Family, and other Partners for the support they continue to grant the County. We cannot do this alone without their support. With a fragile economy like ours, we still need the support of development partners both financially and technically, and I therefore urge development partners to continue working with Kajiado County.

Mr Speaker!

Hon Members,

As part of the Big 4 Agenda is the question of housing. Kajiado County takes up this national aspiration by ensuring a houusing policy and plan.

The significant increase in settlements as a result of land fragmentation/ subdivision in sections of Kajiado County has led to a decrease in food production and unsustainable land uses. The urban population is growing; hence urban sprawling and this could be attributed to the spill over from Nairobi City County.

My Government has received conditional grants from the World Bank that will go towards upgrading of two towns into municipalities. I have conferred the status of municipalities to two towns, namely Ngong and Kajiado. This will positively impact on development of these areas and their neighborhood. My Government has also commenced the preparation of local physical development plans for several towns as well as zoning and part development plans for public utilities within the County.

My Government has digitized records for land and plots in the County. Their information has been securely captured and stored in the workflow system. To address the above challenge I am directing the CEC Member responsible for lands to conclude the County Spatial Plan within the next three months. This plan is a broad policy framework that will guide land use within the County. I’m also pleased to report that the Department of Lands has been able to recover over 3000 acres of land that was not in the possession of the County for over 30years. This Land is currently being fenced and is under use for hay production.

Development of strategic infrastructure

Mr. Speaker Sir,

Honorable Members

Strategic infrastructure development is essential for sustaining both the social and economic growth and development needs of Kajiado County. Our focus is on expanding and maintaining infrastructure required for both social and economic development.

Across the County, the roads are dilapidated or poorly maintained. My Government has increased the budgetary allocation towards improving our road network. My Government is keen to see that our infrastructure planning is robust enough and avoid a situation where we discourage potential investors as a result of poor infrastructure planning.

In this regard, My Government will, going forward, pursue the adoption of a programme to lease heavy machinery as opposed to the current use of contractors that has proved expensive and slow. As such, therefore, I direct the CEC for Roads to quickly operationalize this shift in policy from purchase to lease of heavy machinery. This will see the County save funds and use these funds in roads network expansion.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

I now turn to water. My Government is concerned about the stability of our water infrastructure. From the onset of my tenure, it is apparent that water will be my legacy. The development f our water sources and the accompanying infrastructure will be my main area of focus.

Not only is most of our water infrastructure non-existent but there is also a serious disconnect between the various delivery agents in the water sector that calls for reorganization of our water companies for a cost effective delivery of service.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Development must be sustainable and the County’s environmental assets and natural resources must therefore be well protected and continually enhanced through synergistic development practices.

Environmental sustainability of the County is challenged, in particular as a result of erratic and severe weather conditions and poor land use practices.

My Government is in the final stages of concluding a Natural Resources Use Policy which include sand harvesting. This will bring order where disorder reigns.

At this juncture, Honorable Members of this House, I wish to reiterate that logging and charcoal burning, remain banned in this County. In line with a National Government moratorium on these forest products, I categorically aver that we are still enforcing this ban and we shall not relent until we fully conserve our precious environment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to confirm that we remain as committed as ever to honour the climate change resolutions emanating from various international agreements to which Kenya is signatory to.

To combat adverse effects of climate change, within my mandate under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, I have embarked on a massive tree planting exercise in collaboration with the National Government and other sectoral players.

Hon Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Achieving all the above mentioned development programs and deliver service to the people of Kajiado requires resources and prudent use of public finances.

I note that National Treasury allocations to County Governments are to some extent, pegged on the ability of devolved units to generate their own revenue.

I note with concern that Kajiado County missed a share of the Ksh 6.8 Billion “bonus” by the Commission on Revenue Allocation, given to counties that have improved their collection of local revenue in the last financial year.

I will strive to ensure this does not recur during my administration. I look forward to the newly drafted County Enhancement Revenue Policy by the National Treasury that is meant to support counties in revenue generation.

I also note with concern that in the first six months of this financial year the there was insignificant collection from our own revenues sources, we have collected Ksh 600Million in the last four months. While this may be attributed to the aftermath of the elections, this was way below our potential as a County.

I firmly and categorically call upon the County Treasury to tap in resources from under exploited revenue streams. I am, therefore, directing the CEC in charge of Finance to immediately map out all our revenue areas with the aim of devising a strategy to full collect revenue accruing from the revenue streams currently performing below par. I look forward to a Sh. 1.5 Billion target for local revenue in the next financial year.

Good Governance with clear, relevant Policies

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Hoorable Members

The people of Kajiado County must have confidence in the governance structures and the levels of service delivery in the County. I am committed to offering a caring and competent leadership that places people first.

I am absolutely committed to effectively combat fraud and corruption and reduce unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. I will apply a zero-tolerance approach in dealing with those who are found guilty of these transgressions.

I will be starting lifestyle audits of officials in high risk positions and we are starting with our Supply Chain Management Units. This will be done in collaboration with the EACC.

I am equally not impressed that we do not meet standards as far as our commitment to have all payments to suppliers made within 60 days. Special measures are being implemented to improve our reporting on payments and to ensure that appropriate management steps are taken where required.

My Government will instil a culture in the government where integrity is at the core of everything we do, through our proactive integrity management programmes in the public and private sectors.

My Government commits itself to be held accountable for delivering on all the programs and targets set. I acknowledge and respect the oversight role of this House. My Government also commits to work with this honorable House in strengthening and deepening this oversight function, because it is the right thing to do.

We also accept that we are ultimately accountable to the people of Kajiado County. We also take very seriously our duty to report to our communities on progress with implementation of these programs and plans that are aimed at improving the quality of their lives. My Government fully recognises the authority of this House to call us to account.

Commitment to Partnerships

Mr. Speaker, looking at what lies ahead of us in 2018, my Government is humbled to acknowledge that Government cannot deliver on its development agenda in isolation. My Government has a responsibility to create an enabling environment for all stakeholders in this County to make their own contribution.

It is for this reason that I recently convened a meeting with non-state actors operating in Kajiado county to assure them of my commitment to our collaboration. Further, the Department of Public Service, Public Administration and Citizen Participation is currently reviewing the Stakeholder Engagement Framework to clarify our respective roles and responsibilities, as well as the institutional arrangements to facilitate engagements and partnerships.

Our Challenges

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

While we have many successes, we admit we have many challenges as well. There have always been challenges and we choose to perceive them positively and focus on what we can do about them, rather than be immobilized by them. We recognize the following major challenges, and, together with our partners and stakeholders, I commit to overcome them.

Our disaster risk reduction management strategies were put to test during the prolonged drought towards the end of the year, and during the raging floods in the last two months.

Delayed disbursements from the National Treasury

Inherited Incomplete or delayed projects

Pending bills and delayed payments to our service providers

Poor automation of Government Services and poor ICT infrastructure.

Unmapped revenue sources;

Poor solid waste management

Disorder and encroachment in public spaces in our major towns

Proposed Legislative Action

The churning of Bills and proposed legislation has been slow from both the executive and the Assembly. I urge particularly my CEC Members to be prompt in initiating Bills for debate by the House.

The core business of the Assembly is to make laws. Having said this, My Government proposes several legislative actions to address the above stated challenges among them-

Rules Defining of Flagship Project/ Program / establishing criteria for determining what qualifies as flagship

Cooperative Development Bill

Disaster Management Bill

Sports Management Bill

Youth Entrepreneurship Management Bill

Administrative Structure Bills

Investment Promotion Bill

Early Childhood Bill

Water and Sanitation Services Bill

Medical Stores Bill

Historic Resources Bill

Arts Center Bill

Sand Harvesting Regulations

Charcoal Burning Regulations

Cemeteries and Burial Sites Bill

Solid Waste Management Bill

Urban Planning and Management Bill

Public Finance Management Regulations for Payment to Suppliers

Public Finance and local revenue

Hon Speaker!

Achieving all the mentioned development programs and deliver service to the people of Kajiado requires resources and prudent use of public finances.

I note that National Treasury allocations to County Governments are nowadays to some extent, pegged on the ability of devolved units to generate their own revenue.

Let me admit that we have not been doing well on this front. I note with concern that Kajiado County missed a share of the Sh 6.8 Billion “bonus” by the Commission on Revenue Allocation, given to counties that have improved their collection of local revenue.

I will strive to ensure this does not recur during my administration. I look forward to the newly drafted County Enhancement Revenue Policy by the National Treasury which is meant to support counties in revenue generation.

I note with concern that only Sh 557 Million was collected in the last year of the former administration (2016/2017 Financial Year). This was way below our potential as a County.

I further note that as at yesterday (25 days before the close of this financial year), we had collected Sh592 Million thus surpassing what was collected in the previous entire financial year by Sh 35 Million. This is not good enough. It is far much below our potential.

To address this, Mr Speaker, we are reviewing our internal systems and capacity to tap in resources from earlier under exploited revenue streams. I am, therefore, directing the CEC in charge of Finance to immediately map out all our revenue areas with the aim of devising a strategy to full collect revenue accruing from the revenue streams currently performing below par. I look forward to a Sh 1.5 Billion target for local revenue in the next financial year.

Appreciation

Mr Speaker and Honourable Members, I want to express my appreciation to the members of the County Assembly for their robust oversight over our work.

I cannot forget all categories of staff across all government departments for their dedication and hard work.

The contribution of the people of Kajiado County through Citizen Participation Forums has been very encouraging.

The input received through our emails and social platforms is an indication of a determination from the people of this County to work with government to create a prosperous future. Their input and comments especially through social media is a great way of keeping my Government in check and I encourage the feedback.

TO THE SECOND SESSION OF THE SECOND ASSEMBLY

Hon. Speaker!

Hon Members of County Assembly,

It is an honor and privilege to serve in this coveted leadership role, and a wonderful moment for me to deliver my first State of the County Address as your Governor of our great County of Kajiado. I appreciate the commitment and our shared unique perspectives on the various aspects of development affecting us.

The State of the County Address is basically a performance report of the County Executive Committee and public service to the County Assembly for consideration. It is an opportunity for us all to highlight our accomplishments and progress on our plans, in cognizant of the challenges and improvement to be made going into the 2018/2019 Financial Year; The first for my government. It is also an opportunity for us to lay bare our foundation for the desired developmental agenda, going forward.

I cherish working with you as a team to set policy and make decisions, and deliver services that impact on the lives of the people of Kajiado County.

As I present these accomplishments, I acknowledge the partnership and collaboration of our County Assembly under the leadership of the Speaker, Honorable Johnson Osoi.

I also acknowledge the strong support of the national government, under the leadership of His Excellency President Uhuru Kenyatta, represented in this County, by the County Commissioner, Mr. David Kipkemei. I further appreciate the support I have been accorded by other county leaders among them our Members of Parliament. Our solidarity and show of unity has made Kajiado an envy of other counties.

Today, we can take comfort in the fact that through our complementary efforts as the executive and legislative branches of our Government, we are able to make substantial progress towards promoting the well-being of the people of Kajiado County. Notwithstanding the challenges on the way, our County will continue to move forward along the path of inclusive development.

While a journey towards a more perfect society in an imperfect world can never be complete, our own progress continues to be marked by measurable milestones contained in our long-term Vision 2030, National Development Plans, the Sustainable Development Goals and our County Integrated Development Plan II.

As enjoined by Section 30(1)(k) of the County Government Act, the State of the County Address accords opportunity to the Governor to account to the County on how far we have come as a people. This Address will account on the implementation status of developmental programs at the County Level for the period under review, and inform priorities for the year ahead against the thematic pillars of:

Effective Governance and Service Delivery;

Economic advancement;

Social progression; and

Infrastructure Development .

In my address to the people of Kajiado in various fora, I have repeatedly stated that I envision a strong, united, inclusive and prosperous Kajiado County; A haven of peace and refuge for all its residents and a jewel of Kenya.Theme of the SOCA

My Government is keen to see effective, efficient and radical implementation of programs that will ensure our communities receive the service they deserve.

Mr. Speaker Sir, on the back of a firm commitment of making our future work better, the theme of the 2018 State of the County Address is;

Leading with integrity towards an inclusive economy for targeted and effective service delivery to improve the quality of life.

Kajiado within the National and International Context

Mr. Speaker Sir,

Honorable Members

As a County aspiring to be an important gateway down South and up North, we have to be alive to international developments that have an impact on our County. We also understand that although matters of international relations are within the ambit of the National Government Policy, international events do have a significant impact on our County.

We are, therefore, noting with great interest, the latest development related to the World Bank Projects that our County has benefited from, among them the establishment of our two municipalities of Kajiado and Ngong and the Kitengela bus park. This shows investor confidence in us. I, therefore, undertake to ensure good governance linked with sound and prudent financial and fiscal management, leadership with integrity, as we contribute to a climate conducive for investment confidence. We reaffirm our resolve to pursue vision 2030 and the Sustainable Development Goals.

Mr Speaker Sir, I reaffirm my resolve to deliver a County that can contribute to the realization of the Country’s Vision as advocated in Vision 2030. I have aligned the County Integrated Development Plan II 2018-2022 (CIDP) with Vision 2030, my manifesto and the Sustainable Development Goals as espoused by the Countries of the World all geared towards ending poverty and enjoying peace and prosperity.

We must be reminded that the CIDP and Vision 2030 are simply not government strategies but a collective commitment and a social contract between the government and her people.

Update on Flagship Projects

As I took over office as your Governor, I asked myself what a flagship program is. I inherited several flagship programs from my predecessor, which ended up being projects that were either incomplete or were yet to begin. It has been the norm that with every dispensation, new ideologies and new manifestos are brought forth.

The challenge is whether to abort the old and bring in the new. In keeping with the prudential guidelines and financial integrity, my Government has taken upon itself to define what a flagship program is. In discussing the legislative agenda, I am later in my legislative agenda calling on this Honorable House to legislate and provide a criteria for the definition of flagships.

ACHIEVEMENTS AND LOOKING FORWARD

Growing an inclusive economy

Mr. Speaker, Honorable Members of this House, I acknowledge that the Youth form approximately 60 per cent of the population of this County. Many of them remain unemployed within the context of slow international and national economic growth.

The Youth remain unemployed, not because they don’t have the motivation, the ambition nor the energy: But the real barriers facing our young people are inexperience, lack of specific employment skills and lack of opportunities. This cycle of “no job, no experience or “no experience, and no job” can be broken with appropriate government and private sector interventions and society collaboration.

One such collaboration is our partnership with the KCB Foundation that I challenge other corporates and investors in the County to emulate. In this Ksh 100 Million program, where our contribution will be Ksh 50 Million every year, we shall use an integrated approach for prioritization of youth employment and empowerment programs and initiatives for maximizing the positive impact of the outcomes.

1,000 Youth will undergo vocational training and be handheld through an entrepreneurship start up program that will see them start, strengthen and execute their business ideas. This is a program that I intend to see grow throughout my tenure. It has already kicked off with 300 out of the 1,000 targeted youth this year reporting for training at our host institution-The Masai Technical Training Institute. 700 more will be enrolled in the next three months.

My Government will create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive that will in turn create employment opportunities for our youth. I will continue to promote a culture of entrepreneurship to develop and sustain youth labor that is market relevant and ready while taking advantage of the emerging sectors.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Hon Members

Majority of our County’s population lives in the rural areas. Without good access to markets, an ordinary household cannot market its produce, obtain inputs, sell labor, obtain credit, learn about or adopt new technologies, insure against risks, or even obtain goods at low prices.

Equally important, it cannot use its scarce resources like land and labor efficiently. It is for this reason that in trade, my main objective is to improve access of agricultural produce to markets so as to create the conditions for ordinary residents to overcome poverty.

I have made infrastructural contributions as well as strategic and policy interventions that will strengthen the market position of small farmers and traders to make a pathway out of rural poverty. Reforms will be made along the market chain to make it more competitive and efficient, but this will not automatically create benefits for the poor.

In infrastructural development, my Government has received a Ksh 800 Million grant from the World Bank towards the construction of the Ngong Market. This will see the County developing a state of the Art structure that will house over 1,200 traders. This means that the hawker and trader selling his or her wares outside will have access to facilities that shelter them from the harsh weather conditions. The infrastructure will also provide amenities such as banking halls; SACCOs just to name a few. This should see growth in a holistic way of trading. In the same breath the Kiserian, Loitokitok, Namanga and Ole Kesasi markets are under my radar. The same can be said about our livestock markets in Bisil and Emali.

Hon Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

On policy reforms, my government is advocating for new high-value agricultural market chains thus linking the farmer/ producer to the market/ consumer. Agricultural value chain has been said to be a game changer especially for the smallholder farmers and businesses. We are keen on taking advantage of opportunities offered by our proximity to Nairobi City County.

In this life changing value chain enterprises front, we are humbled by the selection of Kajiado County as a host to a Ksh 10 Billion leather processing plant in Isinya, Kajiado East Sub County, which is part of the National Government’s Big Four Agenda under the Manufacturing sector. This will immensely transform the incomes of our livestock farmers as well as create thousands of jobs within the County.

Our Small and Micro enterprises and cooperative development and support programs provide the mainstay of our quest for enterprise development to broaden participation in a growing economy. A policy on investment is at an advanced stage to engage fruitfully with various investors to identify opportunities for investment.

My government is also specifically developing a policy of promoting equal and active participation of women (e.g. management training, financial services, upgrading of skills) so as to empower our women and remove them from the throes of marginalization. I’m aware that the Cooperatives Bill had been tabled in the 1st August House but was not assented to. My Government will therefore work to bring the Bill back for debate and enactment.

Mr Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Our tourism has always been wildlife based. But the very assets that underpin this wildlife-based tourism – the wildlife itself – are under severe threat. The threats come from a multitude of sources: habitat loss, pollution, infrastructure, climate change, over-exploitation and illegal trade, the most immediate threat to wildlife. If we lose the wildlife, we lose the wildlife-based tourism and the jobs that go with it.

I challenge wildlife authorities to create incentives for communities that neighbor game parks and private ranches to provide habitats to wildlife. The current hostility between our communities and wildlife emanates from the former not benefitting from their wildlife. And I repeat, “their wildlife”. The continued lack of compensation for lives lost and property destroyed by wildlife remains a thorny issue that must be addressed.

My Government has documented over 25 things that you can do in Kajiado. This is with a view to expanding our tourism beyond wildlife and see Kajiado as a haven for rich touristic attractions. Kajiado scores high on natural and cultural resources. Though some aspects of our tourism infrastructure remain underdeveloped, my Government will therefore develop the tourism policy for the development and promotion of Tourism in Kajiado.

Recently, we were privileged to host the Kenya Pastoralists Week, an event that saw over 1,000 visitors from all over Kenya, including policy makers, discuss and develop approaches to building on the pastoralists knowledge, traditional organizations and social networks with a view to contributing to sustainable management of their sparsely populated marginal areas.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Culture ensures unity in diversity, influences identity, debate and dialogue. Culture is the fountain of our progress and creativity and must be carefully nurtured to grow and develop. I hold our culture close to my heart.

I have therefore set aside funds in the next financial year to document and articulate the specific ways in which the Maasai culture can contribute to sustainable development and our national pride.

It is for this reason that this morning, I unveiled a Task Force to carry out this mandate and it will be chaired by our renown scholar, Dr Naomi Kipuri. Further to this I wish to announce that the Maa Cultural Festival will be an annual event. In this regard, I direct the CEC responsible for Culture to immediately kick start action plans that will raise this event to International Standards in the forthcoming years.

With regard to Human Resources, Mr. Speaker Sir, a paradigm shift is long overdue. The focus will now be more on contract employment geared towards achieving targeted results rather than permanent and pensionable terms that have been discovered to breed unproductive individuals. This performance-based contractual system will be enhanced by commensurate reward system as well as benefits. In this regard, Mr. Speaker Sir, I direct that effective July 1, 2018, all officers from the level of director upwards, be put on performance contracts.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

On education, our focus must be on ensuring that there is a well-connected continuum in our education pipeline, from early childhood development, through to pre-primary, primary, secondary, tertiary education and through to workplace skills development and adult learning.

In this regard, the County Integrated Early Childhood Development (ECD) Action Plan that is being developed by the Department of Education will contribute immensely to improve access to ECD services. We now have more than 40,000 children attending 710 ECD centres funded by my Government.

My Government understands the need to reduce the persistent high dropout rate of learners from grades 1 to 8 and even more so between primary school and high school. A situation where approximately 60% of learners entering grade 1 in any particular year, do not transit to Secondary School should not be accepted. This trend further worsens between Secondary and Tertiary Institutions.

This is not to apportion any blame to any individual stakeholder in our education system. It reflects a much broader societal challenge. In a society where our children and learners lose hope because even graduates are unemployed, what incentive is there for them to finish school.

I am not pleased with the matric results of the Class of 2017. Majority of our form four leavers attained grade D. The recent Education Stakeholders Workshop depicted Kajiado as a D + County. This grade is an impediment to their access to employment or effective competition in the job market. It will take the concerted effort of the entire community to see the improvement of our education sector.

Poor performance has over the years hampered future opportunities for our children.

This is not a situation we can endure, especially not with the opportunities of the fourth industrial revolution on our doorstep. For the sake of our children, we must ensure that we create a stable environment for them to learn and prepare themselves for a bright future.

It is for this reason that I recently appointed a multi-agency Task Force to bring together sector players to seek a solution to this worrying situation. I acknowledge the support that I have received towards this cause from the Ministry of Education, Teachers Service Commission(TSC), Kenya National Union of Teachers(KNUT) who form part of this Task Force.

It is important to note that the County Government, through its bursary programme is contributing in a significant manner towards improvement of education. The Department of Education has allocated over Ksh 80 million for the next financial year to benefit approximately 2,000 bursaries.

We laud the National Government’s effort for a Fee-Free Higher Education for poor households and the potential impact this could have on our efforts to create youth employment and to eradicate poverty.

Some of the most significant interventions we are committed to pursue in the drive to improve our skills base in this County are to:

Undertake a skills audit to determine the skills shortages in key areas;

Ensure an appropriate “programme and qualification mix” at universities, Universities of Technology and TVETs to promote the production of professionals and academics;

Establish a data-base of graduates for employers to access; and to

Increase the number of youth work-integrated learning opportunities, such as those already mentioned above

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

The health of our people has a direct correlation on productivity. I have trained my eyes on our key referral units in Kajiado, Ngong, Ongata Rongai, Loitokitok, Mashuru, Ngatataek and Ewaso Oonkidongi. These facilities will continuously receive substantial resources to make them true referral hospitals. This work has begun in earnest and the residents of these areas can attest to this.

To ease the cost of healthcare, my Government has rolled out the implementation of universal healthcare through the registration and use of the National Hospital Insurance Fund. This will ensure that the people of Kajiado have accessible and affordable healthcare.

I have begun the ‘Mbuzi Moja Afya Bora’ program through which I’m encouraging every household to sell a goat so as to raise the annual fee to cover the NHIF annual fee.

I have also engaged over 70 nurses on contract and engaged 5 consultants across the sub counties to address the major shortage of healthcare personnel in the County. This week, through the National Government’s efforts, we expect the arrival of the 100 Cuban doctors in the Country, of which Kajiado County is a beneficiary of two specialists. This support will supplement the effort towards attainment of Universal Health Care as envisaged in the President’s Big Four Agenda. We fully back this initiative.

My Government will in the next financial year, beginning 1st July 2018, recruit 100 health personnel who will be deployed to various health facilities across the County.

My Government has made strides in improving access to health services and notable achievements include the following:

At least 50 percent of the population of Kajiado County is accessing basic health services within 5km radius due to construction and upgrading of dispensaries, health centers, clinics and hospitals.

31 clinics and health centers were constructed or upgraded, including a few clinics that were donated by the private sector and Non-Government institutions.

My Government is working to improve availability of medicines and medical supplies through the construction and equipping of a medical store. I have also ordered that the Department of Health installs a Real Time Medical Supplies Inventory Tracking System that will manage, monitor and control clinical supplies from their entry into a facility’s stockroom to the point of dispensing. At the end of April 2018, we had raised the average availability of vital drugs at our facilities to 80 percent.

My Government has been receiving support from Partners in the medical field. I would like to express my gratitude to AMREF, Global Fund, European Union (EU), and CDC, United States Agency for International Development (USAID), KOICA, United Nations (UN) Family, and other Partners for the support they continue to grant the County. We cannot do this alone without their support. With a fragile economy like ours, we still need the support of development partners both financially and technically, and I therefore urge development partners to continue working with Kajiado County.

Mr Speaker!

Hon Members,

As part of the Big 4 Agenda is the question of housing. Kajiado County takes up this national aspiration by ensuring a houusing policy and plan.

The significant increase in settlements as a result of land fragmentation/ subdivision in sections of Kajiado County has led to a decrease in food production and unsustainable land uses. The urban population is growing; hence urban sprawling and this could be attributed to the spill over from Nairobi City County.

My Government has received conditional grants from the World Bank that will go towards upgrading of two towns into municipalities. I have conferred the status of municipalities to two towns, namely Ngong and Kajiado. This will positively impact on development of these areas and their neighborhood. My Government has also commenced the preparation of local physical development plans for several towns as well as zoning and part development plans for public utilities within the County.

My Government has digitized records for land and plots in the County. Their information has been securely captured and stored in the workflow system. To address the above challenge I am directing the CEC Member responsible for lands to conclude the County Spatial Plan within the next three months. This plan is a broad policy framework that will guide land use within the County. I’m also pleased to report that the Department of Lands has been able to recover over 3000 acres of land that was not in the possession of the County for over 30years. This Land is currently being fenced and is under use for hay production.

Development of strategic infrastructure

Mr. Speaker Sir,

Honorable Members

Strategic infrastructure development is essential for sustaining both the social and economic growth and development needs of Kajiado County. Our focus is on expanding and maintaining infrastructure required for both social and economic development.

Across the County, the roads are dilapidated or poorly maintained. My Government has increased the budgetary allocation towards improving our road network. My Government is keen to see that our infrastructure planning is robust enough and avoid a situation where we discourage potential investors as a result of poor infrastructure planning.

In this regard, My Government will, going forward, pursue the adoption of a programme to lease heavy machinery as opposed to the current use of contractors that has proved expensive and slow. As such, therefore, I direct the CEC for Roads to quickly operationalize this shift in policy from purchase to lease of heavy machinery. This will see the County save funds and use these funds in roads network expansion.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

I now turn to water. My Government is concerned about the stability of our water infrastructure. From the onset of my tenure, it is apparent that water will be my legacy. The development f our water sources and the accompanying infrastructure will be my main area of focus.

Not only is most of our water infrastructure non-existent but there is also a serious disconnect between the various delivery agents in the water sector that calls for reorganization of our water companies for a cost effective delivery of service.

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Development must be sustainable and the County’s environmental assets and natural resources must therefore be well protected and continually enhanced through synergistic development practices.

Environmental sustainability of the County is challenged, in particular as a result of erratic and severe weather conditions and poor land use practices.

My Government is in the final stages of concluding a Natural Resources Use Policy which include sand harvesting. This will bring order where disorder reigns.

At this juncture, Honorable Members of this House, I wish to reiterate that logging and charcoal burning, remain banned in this County. In line with a National Government moratorium on these forest products, I categorically aver that we are still enforcing this ban and we shall not relent until we fully conserve our precious environment.

Mr. Speaker, I wish to confirm that we remain as committed as ever to honour the climate change resolutions emanating from various international agreements to which Kenya is signatory to.

To combat adverse effects of climate change, within my mandate under the Fourth Schedule of the Constitution, I have embarked on a massive tree planting exercise in collaboration with the National Government and other sectoral players.

Hon Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

Achieving all the above mentioned development programs and deliver service to the people of Kajiado requires resources and prudent use of public finances.

I note that National Treasury allocations to County Governments are to some extent, pegged on the ability of devolved units to generate their own revenue.

I note with concern that Kajiado County missed a share of the Ksh 6.8 Billion “bonus” by the Commission on Revenue Allocation, given to counties that have improved their collection of local revenue in the last financial year.

I will strive to ensure this does not recur during my administration. I look forward to the newly drafted County Enhancement Revenue Policy by the National Treasury that is meant to support counties in revenue generation.

I also note with concern that in the first six months of this financial year the there was insignificant collection from our own revenues sources, we have collected Ksh 600Million in the last four months. While this may be attributed to the aftermath of the elections, this was way below our potential as a County.

I firmly and categorically call upon the County Treasury to tap in resources from under exploited revenue streams. I am, therefore, directing the CEC in charge of Finance to immediately map out all our revenue areas with the aim of devising a strategy to full collect revenue accruing from the revenue streams currently performing below par. I look forward to a Sh. 1.5 Billion target for local revenue in the next financial year.

Good Governance with clear, relevant Policies

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Hoorable Members

The people of Kajiado County must have confidence in the governance structures and the levels of service delivery in the County. I am committed to offering a caring and competent leadership that places people first.

I am absolutely committed to effectively combat fraud and corruption and reduce unauthorised, irregular, fruitless and wasteful expenditure. I will apply a zero-tolerance approach in dealing with those who are found guilty of these transgressions.

I will be starting lifestyle audits of officials in high risk positions and we are starting with our Supply Chain Management Units. This will be done in collaboration with the EACC.

I am equally not impressed that we do not meet standards as far as our commitment to have all payments to suppliers made within 60 days. Special measures are being implemented to improve our reporting on payments and to ensure that appropriate management steps are taken where required.

My Government will instil a culture in the government where integrity is at the core of everything we do, through our proactive integrity management programmes in the public and private sectors.

My Government commits itself to be held accountable for delivering on all the programs and targets set. I acknowledge and respect the oversight role of this House. My Government also commits to work with this honorable House in strengthening and deepening this oversight function, because it is the right thing to do.

We also accept that we are ultimately accountable to the people of Kajiado County. We also take very seriously our duty to report to our communities on progress with implementation of these programs and plans that are aimed at improving the quality of their lives. My Government fully recognises the authority of this House to call us to account.

Commitment to Partnerships

Mr. Speaker, looking at what lies ahead of us in 2018, my Government is humbled to acknowledge that Government cannot deliver on its development agenda in isolation. My Government has a responsibility to create an enabling environment for all stakeholders in this County to make their own contribution.

It is for this reason that I recently convened a meeting with non-state actors operating in Kajiado county to assure them of my commitment to our collaboration. Further, the Department of Public Service, Public Administration and Citizen Participation is currently reviewing the Stakeholder Engagement Framework to clarify our respective roles and responsibilities, as well as the institutional arrangements to facilitate engagements and partnerships.

Our Challenges

Mr. Speaker Sir!

Honorable Members

While we have many successes, we admit we have many challenges as well. There have always been challenges and we choose to perceive them positively and focus on what we can do about them, rather than be immobilized by them. We recognize the following major challenges, and, together with our partners and stakeholders, I commit to overcome them.

Our disaster risk reduction management strategies were put to test during the prolonged drought towards the end of the year, and during the raging floods in the last two months.

Delayed disbursements from the National Treasury

Inherited Incomplete or delayed projects

Pending bills and delayed payments to our service providers

Poor automation of Government Services and poor ICT infrastructure.

Unmapped revenue sources;

Poor solid waste management

Disorder and encroachment in public spaces in our major towns

Proposed Legislative Action

The churning of Bills and proposed legislation has been slow from both the executive and the Assembly. I urge particularly my CEC Members to be prompt in initiating Bills for debate by the House.

The core business of the Assembly is to make laws. Having said this, My Government proposes several legislative actions to address the above stated challenges among them-

Rules Defining of Flagship Project/ Program / establishing criteria for determining what qualifies as flagship

Cooperative Development Bill

Disaster Management Bill

Sports Management Bill

Youth Entrepreneurship Management Bill

Administrative Structure Bills

Investment Promotion Bill

Early Childhood Bill

Water and Sanitation Services Bill

Medical Stores Bill

Historic Resources Bill

Arts Center Bill

Sand Harvesting Regulations

Charcoal Burning Regulations

Cemeteries and Burial Sites Bill

Sol

Lastly, but not least, I want to express my appreciation to my family for their unwavering support.

I Thank You all

God Bless You All ! God Bless Kajiado, God Bless Kenya

H.E JOSEPH OLE LENKU,EGH

Read More
02 Jun
By: CGK 0

PRESS RELEASE

TASKFORCE ON THE DOCUMENTARY OF THE MAA

CULTURE AND ESTABLISHMENT OF THE CULTURAL MUSEUM.

 

31ST May 2018

 

H.E Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has appointed the following persons to be Chairperson and Members of the Task force on the Documentation of The Maa Culture and Establishment of the Cultural Museum.

 

Members

  1. Naomi Kipuri-Chairperson
  2. Sironka Ole Masharen-Vice Chair
  3. Oliver Kantai-Secretary
  4. Henry Kiria-Member
  5. John Ole Kamanga-Member
  6. Lanoi Maloi-Member

 

Duration

The Task Force shall remain in force for a period of eight months from 2nd May 2018.

 

Read More
01 Jun
By: CGK 0

SPEECH BY KAJIADO GOVERNOR, H.E JOSEPH OLE LENKU, DURING THE MADARAKA DAY CELEBRATIONS AT THE KCB GROUNDS, KAJIADO TOWN, ON JUNE 1,2018

My People of Kajiado County,

Fellow Kenyans,

 

I welcome you all and thank you for joining us here today to celebrate this year’s Madaraka Day. This is the 55thMadaraka for the Republic of Kenya, the 6th since Devolution and the First for me as your Governor.

 

Our freedom heroes fought to unite us. As I have said before, my clarion call is not distinct from this. When I assumed office as your Governor, I promised to unite the people of Kajiado because I believe government cannot endure a divided people.  In being united, we shall all face our common enemy that is poverty.

 

I deeply felt the need to restore the unity of all the political leaders of this County, creating a collaborative and cooperative leadership of working together, pulling everyone together in one direction for a shared vision for the County. We will together face the socio-economic challenges and burdens that are stumbling blocks to economic development and independence. I call on all people of Kajiado County to remain united. It is the first step towards achieving our desired developmental milestones.

 

Fellow compatriots of Kajiado County

Since the inception of my Administration, I have been committed to unite the people of Kajiado. I have demonstrated this through the inclusivity policy that is manifested in the appointments that I have made in the Executive. We have further demonstrated this as a government in the amicable and collaborative relationship between the Executive and the County Assembly.

 

I have further demonstrated my commitment to this unity through the several consultative engagements that I have had with all the leaders in the county and in bringing them together regardless of their political affiliations. I did this from the onset of my administration with a view to beginning my governance on a clean slate. As leaders, we must commit and diligently work on steering unity and integration of the people of Kajiado and eliminate earlier feelings of discrimination on account of tribe, clan, gender, religion etc.  We must take our diversity as an advantage rather than an impediment to our progress and prosperity as a County. Together, we will definitely achieve more.

 

My fellow compatriots of Kajiado County,

In my Manifesto, in matters health, I pledged to have four sub county hospitals refurbished and equipped to standard, strengthen human resource and health management development, upgrade and strengthen ambulatory and referral systems across the County. I have had the pleasure of commissioning new and modern equipment in the renal unit at the County’s main Referral Hospital. The equipment includes a dialysis machine. This has brought services closer to the people, reaching those who need the services. Nobody has to suffer again, because of the lack of this critical part of healthcare, either from distance or cost of renal care.

 

To ease the cost of healthcare, my Government has rolled out the implementation of universal healthcare through the registration and use of the National Hospital Insurance Fund. This will ensure that the people of Kajiado access affordable healthcare. I have began the ‘Mbuzi Moja, Afya Bora’ initiative through which we are mobilizing our people to register with NHIF. We are encouraging every household to sell one goat so as to raise the annual NHIF fee which will cater for all their families’ medical needs .

 

I have also engaged over 70 nurses and engaged 5 consultants across the Sub Counties to address the major health challenges facing  our County. My Government will, in the next financial year, beginning 1st July 2018, recruit an additional 100 health personnel who will be deployed to various health facilities across the County.

 

My fellow compatriots of Kajiado County,

Just as we continue fighting disease, we must also eradicate ignorance. I am aware that many of our people have been left behind in education. This can be attributed to our negative cultural practices and harsh climatic conditions. Quality education means the difference between poverty and a bright future. Education is humanity’s best bet and most effective means in the quest to achieve sustainable development. It is said that education is the only factor that makes all humans equal.

 

Our Constitution bestowed upon the County the function of early childhood education. The drafters of the constitution and the people of Kenya in promulgating the Constitution, were keen to see that education begins at the nascent stages of a person’s life hence must be molded at this very level, the County Level. My Government is keen to ensure that each child reaches their full potential in all areas of life, develop self- esteem and provide the experiences from which knowledge is constructed. My Government has introduced the School Feeding and Nourishment program in all the early childhood centers across the County.

 

In technical education, My Government recognizes the place of technical skills as a key creator of both skilled labour in our industries as well as self-employment. Towards this end, my Government has entered into a Sh 100 Million vocational training partnership with the Kenya Commercial Bank (KCB) Foundation on a 50:50 basis to train 1,000 youth on various technical skills annually.

 

My Government has set aside Sh 50 Million for this programme, this year, and I am happy to report that 300 out of these 1,000 youth have already reported at the Masai Technical Training Institute (MTTI) which is our host institution. The other 700 beneficiaries will be recruited in September. This innovative skill development program will equip unemployed youth with technical skills that will enable them earn a living and contribute to nation building.

 

This will generate a skilled labor for the county and the country, as well as enable our youth to cope with the fast developing economy and to gear up employment and meet the challenges of globalization. For many years, technical and vocational education and training has suffered from the mentality that manual and technical jobs are for the poor in school.   This should never be the case, if at all we wish to hasten our journey towards Vision 2030.

 

In recognition of technical skills as a key driver to industrialization, especially in developed countries, our technical skills development will be designed to attract the best brains in the county, even as we design simpler skills development for the less educated in our village polytechnics.

 

My Government, in implementing the Constitution, is keen, through the Youth Empowerment Program, to dignify the informal sector by letting the Youth take the lead in technical and vocational training, by giving them the skillset needed to motivate the next generation.

 

Fellow Compatriots of Kajiado County,

A hungry person is not a productive person.  Hunger and drought have gone hand in hand as an enemy of development in this County. In the recent past, the pastoral communities of Kajiado County lost thousands of heads of cattle to the drought situation. My Government has intervened strongly by shifting the paradigm in livestock management. Traditional livestock farming systems are based on the movements of the herds, wandering to different grazing areas that are complementary according to the seasons and, in many situations, managed as common pastures. The threats regarding land access or as the land use policies change, give priority to cropping systems depriving pastoralists of the grazing areas. This has aggravated the need to rethink our policy on livestock management.

 

This has stimulated my Government to rethink and improve agricultural methodologies in order to assess the quality of the forage and design new grazing practices. The policy advocates for the pastoralists to keep fewer but more economically viable heads of cattle while at the same time set aside some land for pasture. The storage of the pasture in preparation for the dry spells is also key in ensuring food security.

 

My fellow Compatriots

Water is life. Access to clean, safe and sufficient water resources is a critical need in this county. Our available water sources are not properly harnessed and reticulated meaning gaining access to water in our households requires infrastructural investment and connection to municipal water networks.

 

To achieve this, we have embarked on rehabilitation of several water systems, top among the Nolturesh Water Pipeline. Six months ago, I promised to ensure Nolturesh water flows in our homes. Today, I can report we are already living the Nolturesh water dream because Our County Headquarters and several parts of Kajiado Town and its environs are already enjoying Nolturesh water. In the forthcoming Financial Year, we have set aside Sh 30Million to upgrade this water infrastructural system.

 

Increased population in our county has led to a high demand for water. We had constructed several water pans across the county to supply water for agriculture, livestock and human consumption. Unfortunately, most of these small dams were washed away in the recent floods that hit the Country. We shall rehabilitate them as soon as possible.

 

To further address the water challenge, my Government is partnering with the National Government to construct at least three mega dams in the County to ensure we have a reliable source of water in  both our rural and rapidly growing urban centres. We have grand plans on how we can utilize these dams to improve our food security through irrigation.

 

My fellow Compatriots,

 

Conserving our environment has a bearing on the quality of life we live. You recall that I issued a moratorium on logging and charcoal burning, in line with a similar directive issued by the National Government.

 

This moratorium is still in force. Here in Kajiado County, we have said NO to continued wanton destruction of forests and our other natural resources. Burning or trading in these products is a very serious offence, as far as we are concerned. In this regard, I have instructed the Department of Environment, together with the County Inspectorate, to continue enforcing this order. Going forward, we will involve the community forest Associations to help in this fight to conserve our environment.

 

 

My Fellow Compatriots of Kajiado County

Kajiado County is growing rapidly hence the need to create and sustain the best environment for opportunity and productivity. This entails creating an enabling environment through proper infrastructure, both policy and legal environment to foster innovation, employment creation and wealth generation. Roads open up more areas and stimulate economic and social development. For those reasons, road infrastructure is the most important of all public assets. The development of the transport road network plays an important role in the economic development of the County. Approximately 80 per cent of the roads in the County are in the rural areas. Across the County, the roads are dilapidated or poorly maintained. My Government has increased the budgetary allocation towards improving our road network.

 

My fellow compatriots of Kajiado County

The question of land remains an emotive factor in the County and Countrywide. In Kajiado County, the issues surrounding land include illegal sale and transfers, disputed and contested ownerships, and conflicts between seller and buyer as well as issues of encroachment. The significant increase in settlements as a result of land fragmentation/ subdivision in sections of Kajiado County has led to decrease in food production and unsustainable land uses. My Government has digitized all records for land and plots and securely captured and stored them in the workflow system.  My Government has also set aside funds in the next financial year beginning 1st July 2018, to conclude the County Spatial Plan. This plan is a broad policy framework that will guide land use within the County.

 

Apart from Land, Kajiado’s urban population is growing at a high speed. This can be attributed to the spill over from our neighbor, Nairobi City County.  My Government has received conditional grants from the World Bank that will go towards upgrading of two towns into municipalities. My Government has conferred the status of two towns, namely Ngong and Kajiado to municipalities. This will positively impact on development of these areas and their neighborhoods. My Government has also commenced the preparation of local physical development plans for several towns as well as zoning and part development plans for public utilities within the County.

 

My fellow compatriots

Economic growth is essential in order to reduce poverty and to improve people’s living standards. Trade and investment play an increasingly large role in the economic growth of the County. My Government and with the support of World bank has embarked on construction of a market in Ngong and fastening pace for completion of various other markets across the County. The Ngong Market will provide shops and spaces to over 1,200 traders. The improvement of the market infrastructure will provide opportunities for the exchange of goods and services by producers and consumers and will also provide an important means of generating a diversity of retail outlets by supplying low cost space for street vendors who use stalls or carts and do not therefore require buildings.

 

My government has also developed strategic interventions towards women through trade with the aim of improving the lives of the women, which in turn cascade to positive benefits to households. This has been done through the engagement of women through groups commonly known as“Chamas” and providing them with incentives and opportunity to offer unskilled labor services to the County Government in an attempt to realize the 30%  procurement rule in favour of women, youth, and People Living with Disability.

 

My People, Culture ensures unity in diversity, influences identity, debate and dialogue.Culture is the fountain of our progress and creativity and must be carefully nurtured to grow and develop. I hold the Maa culture close to my heart. I have therefore set aside funds in the next financial year to document and articulate the specific ways in which the Maasai culture can contribute to sustainable development and our national pride.

 

These funds will also go towards the establishment and equipping of a cultural museum. Yesterday, I appointed a task force to carry out this mandate and will be chaired by one of our eminent female scholars, Dr Naomi Kipuri. This will be an apt opportunity for the Maasai people  to tell their own cultural story.

 

 

My fellow compatriots

My government has aligned governance, management and service delivery structures in all departments to ensure full accountability and efficient delivery of services to the people of Kajiado County. Towards this end, we have started a functional exercise of Human Resource Audit and Skills gap analysis. This encompasses physical head count, payroll cleansing, biometric registration and verification of employees to ensure that the county carries out accurate planning, performance evaluation, development and organization of its manpower resources. Given the severe pressures on available public finances, there is immediate necessity to ensure that the numbers employed in the County Public Service are not more than necessary to deliver services and to address the overall levels of wage bill expenditure. Retention in the work force will be purely based on performance.

 

My fellow compatriots

As we walk this journey of transforming Kajiado County, it is important to remember that in everything we do, let us do it with integrity and honor. The people of Kajiado County are at the heart of all developmental activities. All the resources that are invested in the County under my governance must be managed in a prudent manner. My government will not tolerate theft, waste and mismanagement. The people have bestowed trust in me and I give my commitment to serve the people of Kajiado based on professionalism, diligence and integrity.

 

I have begun a rigorous exercise of ensuring that we provide efficient services to the public. Beginning 1st July 2018, all financial systems will be automated. The IFMIS, the E-citizen Government Digital Payments Platform, E-procurement, and the digitization of registries at the Department of Lands will restore efficiency and credibility to all county government Departments. In addition, my Government will roll out a Performance Management System that will commit everyone in government to account for results and delivery on the government plans and programs target set.

 

Fellow Compatriots,

As we end here today, receive my highest assurance that my Government believes in you and cares for youand will not waver from the mandate of servitude.

 

Finally, we owe it to our founding fathers, who fought for our Independence.  We also recognize those who fought for the new constitution which brought about devolution. Through devolved governments, we can say it is Madaraka again.  Let us today commit to work together to make our County and Country great.

 

Thank you very much. God bless Kajiado County, God bless Kenya.

 

 

H.E JOSEPH OLE LENKU,

GOVERNOR,KAJIADO COUNTY.

 

 

 

Read More