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It is with great honor and pleasure that I share in this special space and time a reflection of the achievements we have jointly realized since assuming office August 2017. Over the past 4 and half years, my Government has embarked on a major delivery effort, which has involved aligning the Government agenda from political promises to action.

My administration scorecard is premised the functioning infrastructure – road networks, bridges, provision of clean, safe and sufficient water, construction of modern markets, construction of new dispensaries and installation of ultramodern multimillion hospital equipment in our referral hospitals, strengthening of extension services to farmers and other basic systems. In addition, my administration has identified and tackled some of the barriers to school attendance by enhancing funding to Early Childhood Development through infrastructure development and remuneration of ECDE teachers that form the foundation for education. The Expanded secondary school, University & tertiary college’s bursaries for the needy families as well us scholarships scheme was designed to invest in learners from the poor homes as one of the strategies of poverty eradication in the county.

As you will find in the scorecard, it is my hope that you the reader will be able to form a well- grounded opinion on the progress that we have made so far. My Government believes that even a good thing can be made better and hence we will collectively redouble our efforts towards this end. Once again, many thanks.

God Bless Kajiado County, God Bless Kenya
HE Joseph Ole Lenku, Governor Kajiado County.

The Scorecard 2017-2022

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Having considered the job losses and economic struggles being experienced by traders in the Bars and Restaurants sector, Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has announced a raft of changes that include waivers and increase in operational hours.

He has DIRECTED that;

(i) A 50 per cent waiver be effected of all the licenses payable to the Kajiado County Alcoholic Drinks Control by bars and restaurants for 2021/22 Financial Year

(ii) All the application fees payable to the County Alcoholic Drinks Control Board be suspended for the 2021/22 Financial Year.

(iii) Licences falling under the same department be harmonized and merged for ease of payment and administration.

(iv) The Kajiado County Alcoholic Drinks Control Act (2014), be amended to provide for board membership to include representatives of Bar and Restaurant Owners from each of the Sub Counties.

(V) Bars and Restaurants operate for two hours earlier within their respective working hours.

He said the move is meant to assist the business community in the Food and Entertainment Industry in their recovery process from the COVID 19 pandemic.

He added that it will also help them to retain their current staff and recall those who may have lost their jobs.

Expansion of the road network and opening up of highly populous estates in Kajiado North forms one of the items in Governor Lenku’s administration’s Rapid Results Initiative (RRI) programme.

To respond to the need for easy access of our shopping centres, H.E the Governor today launched the tarmacking of three roads in Kajiado North.

In Ongata Rongai, we are tarmacking the Cleanshelf ~ AIC~Saitoti Hospital~Nakeel ~Primary School Road; In Oloolua Ward, we are tarmacking the Juanco~ Ole Polos road while in Kiserian town, we are tarmacking the ring road around the new market which is under construction.

During the tour H.E the Governor assured Kajiado North residents that his list of priorities as promised is being addressed and soon the fruits of his commitment to change the landscape of this Sub County will be there for all to see.

Kiserian Market will soon be completed and host about 1,500 traders. H.E the Governor also launched the construction of a tarmac road around the market to make trading activities easier and attractive to motorists.

The market will be ready for occupation by August this year.

It  was a pleasure and honor for Kajiado County to host, as well as witness, the flagging off of newly recruited health personnel (through the partnership of UNDP and UN Volunteers (UNV) programme) deployed to 14 counties including Kajiado County as part of UNDP’s continued support towards the fight of COVID-19 in the Country. The volunteers bring a range of skills and experience that will boost the fight against COVID-19 at the County level.

This support is crucial considering human resource for health is a crucial component in the fight against corona virus. As a County , therefore urge all our development partners to also consider supporting us by targeting human resource development measures including offering trainings to our staff, supply of personal protective equipment’s (PPEs), and even send  their staff to the health sector among other areas of support.

In the last 24 hours, we have received 14 new positives for COVID-19 disease in the County (as reported by the Ministry of Health). We note that 8 of these cases (6 health workers from Kajiado Central and 2 cases from Kajiado East) were processed in Namanga and we had already captured their details in our report of 30th June 2020. This brings the total new additional cases for today to be 6 and the cumulative confirmed positive cases for the County at 241 with 6 deaths.

Out of the 6 positive cases, 5 are from Kajiado North (2 are health care workers working in private facilities in Nairobi County, 3 are residents of Ongata Rongai, Kiserian, and Ngong and were tested privately).

Kajiado Central had 1 positive case from Kajiado town and a contact of a previous case.

The cumulative positives in the county are now distributed as follows:

Kajiado Central 133

Kajiado South 29

Kajiado East 41

Kajiado North 36

Kajiado West 2

The total number of positive cases who have reported successful recoveries from our treatment centres remains at 141. All our positive cases are stable and receiving treatment at our isolation and treatment facilities with some being placed on home based care. Contact tracing is ongoing.

Once again we note with a lot of concern the rate of health worker infection is on an upward trend. We continue to appeal to our health workers, continuously and in an appropriate manner, to strictly use the provided personal protective equipment’s (PPEs) as you offer various services to the public and also to note that there are possibilities of community transmission out of the environs of our health facilities.

In the next few days, we are rolling out another phase of trainings and capacity building to our health workers as well as initiate a programme of regular testing. These trainings will be geared towards Infection Prevention and Control measures as well as case management.

At the same time, we continue to congratulate all our frontline health workers who have been working extremely hard, with heroism, dedication and selflessness. We most sincerely acknowledge your efforts and may God richly bless you.

#Covid-19

#StaySafeStayHome

#KomeshaCorona

Easther Somoire, OGW

CECM Medical Services and Public Health

Speech by H.E the Governor during the flagging off of 50 United Nations volunteers in support of the Kenyan Government’s National COVID 19 Response on July 1, 2020.

Devolution CAS, Hon. Abdul Bahari,

My colleague Governors and Deputy Governors present,

The United Nations family led by Resident Coordinator, Siddhart Chatterjee,

The UNDP Resident Representative, Walid Badawi,

My Brother, Devolution PS, Charles Sunkuli,

My sister, Health PS, Susan Mochache,

The County Assemblies Forum CEO, Judy Oduma,

Our Speaker, Hon Johnson Osoi.

Ladies and gentlemen;

I welcome you all to Kajiado County. Karibuni sana.

Bwana CAS: It is three and a half months now since our country’s index Covid-19 case was discovered in Ongata Rongai within my county. Also, for its unique geographical position, Kajiado remains the most of the high risk counties. We are sandwiched between our nation’s capital, Nairobi, the epi-centre of the spread of the virus, and a 700 km stretch of the Kenya-Tanzania boundary. Not only that, we border six other counties; Narok, Nakuru,Kiambu, Machakos, Makueni and Taita Taveta.

In a sense, therefore, we are the playground of cross border transmission. And it is so, both, locally and internationally.

Bwana CAS, therefore, it couldn’t have been more apt than to choose our county to be the launching pad of this important effort; an effort geared towards the fight against this marauding pandemic.

For us in Kajiado, we believe in a united front against this pandemic. I have had countless encounters and engagements with the Ministry of Health officials as we continue with this important war.

Therefore, today’s encounter with the Ministry of Devolution and ASALs is yet another indicator that this pandemic is not just a health matter. It is affecting our lives in so many ways that each and every one of us has a role to play to contain the virus.

Bwana CAS,

The tremendous negative impact of COVID 19 has effectively been devolved. The rising cases of intra-county, inter-county and inter-community transmissions clearly confirm that the virus is now with us; and is affecting our people’s lives in scales that we may take a while to recover from.

Seized of the dire need to set the pace in our preparedness to contain COVID 19, my Government has taken several measures:-

We have set up five isolation centres in our health facilities.

These are Kajiado Referral Hospital;

Kitengela Sub County Hospital; Ole Kasasi Health Centre; Namanga Health Centre and Oloitokitok Sub County Hospital.

We have set aside Ngong Sub County Hospital, Ng’atataek Health Centre and the KMTC Oloitokitok as COVID 19 Hospitals and Treatment Centres. In fact, health services that were being offered here have been referred to neighbouring facilities.

We now have 20 ICU beds in the county. Plans are under way to scale up this to 50 ICU beds.

We have just achieved the mandatory 300 beds capacity at our Isolation Centres. But owing to our unique situation as an emerging theatre of the virus transmission, we are set to have a total of 700 beds which are currently being made by our Vocational Training Centres(VTCs).

We have trained 720 health workers (or 60 %) of our health work force. We are looking for more support to train the remaining ones.

This pandemic has also re-awakened our creativity and innovation instincts.

To offer our people protective devices, our Vocational Training Centres started to manufacture face masks and sanitizers which we give free of charge to our residents. So far, we have made in excess of 100,000 masks and more than 5,000 litres of sanitizers.

Additionally, we have installed hand-washing facilities at all the main public places.

Ladies and gentlemen: This is just a snippet of what we have already done. We are doing much more on the ground going forward.

Bwana CAS,

The Health nightmare is not the only impact of COVID 19. We have experienced loss of livelihoods as the output of our economy shrinks.

Thousands of our people are now more food insecure than at any other time.

More than 30,000 households in my county are in dire need of relief food support. So far, we have only managed to assist 10,000 families.

My Government is implementing a digital food distribution programme. Let me tell you how it works.

The County Government through our national and county administrative grassroot structures identifies vulnerable cases. A specially generated PIN is sent to each beneficiary to their mobile phones via SMS. The message asks the beneficiary to present the PIN to a pre-selected retail outlet within a walking distance from their homes.

Meanwhile, the pre-selected retailer has an APP (M-Riziki) installed on his /her phone which is used to VERIFY the personal details of the beneficiary.

Once verified, the retailer hands over our pre-packed relief food hamper to the beneficiary.

This ICT-driven initiative, Bwana CAS, has the following benefits;

It reduces crowding and scramble for relief food in public places in this COVID 19 sensitive time.

It has restored the dignity of vulnerable people as they are not exposed to public ridicule when collecting food.

It has boosted the local economy as County Government buys relief food from local shops and pays immediately via MPESA.It has reduced logistical nightmares associated with physical food distribution.

It is highly accountable. Every transaction is digitally monitored and reported to the County Government’s back office system.

This digital distribution of relief food is working very well. I wish to invite our national and international friends to partner with us to reach more vulnerable households through this system.

Bwana CAS,

I wish to come to a close at this point. I look forward to receiving my county’s share of the UN Volunteers.

They are very welcome here and we look forward to working with them in the war against Covid-19 pandemic.

Thank you very much. God bless you all.

H.E JOSEPH OLE LENKU,

Governor, Kajiado County.

TO CUSHION OUR PEOPLE FROM HIGH FOOD PRICES H.E THE GOVERNOR HAS GIVEN THE FOLLOWING DIRECTIVES.

As you are all aware, our country continues to experience the impact of the Corona Virus Disease (COVID -19).

The County Government of Kajiado is cognizant of the negative economic impact of COVID 19. Many business enterprises are suffering huge losses while others have closed. Many workers continue to lose their livelihoods as the effects of the situation persist.

In this unfolding situation, food security of our people is grossly threatened.

To cushion our people from higher food prices and to enable the business community to avail food supplies in affordable prices, I DIRECT the County Department of Finance to WAIVE TAXES and levies for April-June, 2020, as follows;

▪️Daily market Cess fees on Agricultural produce.

▪️Transit Cess fees for all Agricultural produce.

▪️Slaughter house inspection fees.

▪️Monthly parking fees for Passenger Service Vehicles (PSVs).

🔷Following a DECLARATION by the Ministry of Health that the transmission of the Corona Virus Disease in Kenya is now Community driven and that it is being spread through close contact among people who have disregarded observance of social distance as a measure to contain the spread of the pandemic, I have given the following DIRECTIVE;

▪️That the County Directorate of Inspectorate Services ensures trading activities in the County are CONDUCTED within the recommended ONE METRE distance with a special focus on RETAIL MARKETS, CATTLE SALE YARDS, SUPERMARKETS, BUS PARKS and HEALTH FACILITIES.

▪️Business enterprises that deal with essential goods and services and are still operating MUST ensure that their customers observe the recommended SOCIAL DISTANCE when transacting.

▪️Administrative action will be taken against business enterprises that do not abide by the issued social distance guidelines.

The County Inspectorate officers are URGED to observe restraint when handling members of the public.

As the country continues to feel the pain and pressure of the Corona Virus,the Governors  administration is not leaving anything to chance as it is working very closely with other health stakeholders to ensure we are prepared for any eventuality.
Towards this effort, H.E the Governor today opened the second COVID-19 Isolation Unit at Kitengela Sub County Hospital.

“I call for calm and patience of all Kajiado residents as we head towards a critical period of this pandemic. We all need to observe the guidelines of the curfew issued by the National Government beginning today at 7 PM,”said the Governor.

H.E. Joseph Lenku today officially opened The First sitting of the Fourth Session of The Kajiado County Assembly with a strong message of unity of purpose between the two arms of government that he said will ensure all development initiatives are on track in the run up to the next general elections.

In his address to the Members, the Governor reiterated his vision of fulfilling most of the pledges made to the electorate in his manifesto, most of which he said have been implemented as outlined in the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2018-2022. He said the County Treasury intends to seal all existing revenue collection gaps to boost revenue collection to surpass last year’s Sh1Bn mark so as to ensure a boosted allocation from the Exchequer as well as will enable his administration to implement more development projects the in the next Financial Year. He asserted that towards this realization, the County Government is determined to clear all pending development bills which stood at Sh1billion, Sh581Million of which had been paid out by the close of the first half of this Financial Year. Recurrent expenditure bills amounted to Sh939Million as at December 31, 2019, Sh280Million of this had already been settled.

Towards the recently launched County Bursary and Scholarship programme, the Governor urged the County Assembly to fast-track the amendments to the Kajiado County Public Finance Management ( County Bursary Fund ) Regulations ,2019 that will set a legal framework to guide the programme.

On matters education, The Governor urged the County Assembly to fast-track the amendments to the Kajiado County Public Finance Management ( County Bursary Fund ) Regulations ,2019 that will set a legal framework to guide the recently launched County Bursary and Scholarship programme. The annual bursary kitty which has tripled from Sh40M in 2013 to Sh150M in the current Financial Year has with it raised the number of beneficiaries from 3,000 to more than 9,000. 430 students, 250 of whom are in Secondary Schools and 180 in colleges and universities have also benefited from the Scholarship Programme.

Lenku said health matters continue to be a top priority of his administration with equipping of medical facilities around the County in top gear. He singled out the Lenku The Mother Child Health (MCH) complex at Kajiado Referral Hospital, ready for operationalization in the coming weeks, the fully equipped

Kitengela hospital and Ngong Sub County Hospital Theatre and Male and Female Wards as well as Construction and equipping of a theatre at Rongai Health Centre, currently at procurement stage. To cater to the gaps in the administration at the County Hospital he said his government will employ hospital administrators at the four major hospitals; Kajiado Referral,Ngong’, Ongata Rongai, Loitokitok and Kitengela Sub County hospitals.

On Infrastructure development, he assured more road construction projects akin to the completed tarmac roads in Kitengela, Kiserian, Ngong ,Ongata Rongai and the Central Business District within the Financial Year. This he said went hand in hand with promotion of trade and creation of trade spaces such as the Rombo retail market which waits commissioning with Ngong, Kitengela, Kiserian and Ilasit retail markets earmarked for completion and occupation in the next two years.

In his address, the Governor intimated that efforts to fast track payments of pending compensation claims to victims of human-wildlife conflicts had paid off with 50 per cent of the families that lost their kin in wildlife attacks being fully compensated at the requisite rate of Sh 5 million per family.

On Legislation, the Governor challenged the County Assembly Members to embrace the spirit of collective responsibility, that members are not seen to be overly critical of legislation regulations, policies or Bills out there, when they are still within the armpit of the Assembly.  This he said was the recipe for success or failure of the County Goverment.  He urged the MCAs to fast-track pending legislative tasks including Bills and Policies from the Executive as well as from Private Members. He outlined the follow legislative business for the Fourth Session; The Kajiado County Villages Bill (2019), The Kajiado County Climate Change Bill (2019), The Kajiado County Environment Management Bill (2019). The Kajiado County Finance Bill (2019) as well as The Kajiado County Quarry Bill which have all been submitted to the County Assembly for consideration.

Lenku equally noted and appreciated the effort members are putting in ensuring in enacting laws that are useful to the people. he particularly noted five Private Members Bills that require huge support from the Assembly during this session.

(i)The Kajiado County Agriculture Development Bill (2019) by Honourable Joshua Oluwuasa.

(ii) Kajiado County Rain Water Harvesting Bill (2019) by Honourable Onesmus Ngogoyo.

(iii)The Kajiado County Livestock Sale Yard Bill (2019) by Honourable Jackson Mpaada.

(iv). The Kajiado County Corporate Social Responsibility Bill (2019) by Honourable Joseph Masiaya.

(v). The Kajiado County Animal Disease Control (2019) by Honorable Amos Peshut.

He pointed out that The Kajiado County Investment Policy; The Kajiado County Cultural and Heritage Policy as well as the Kajiado Women Economic Empowerment Policy were pending before the County Assembly.

Alongside these policies are petitions by various stakeholders; notably a petition on the Effects of processing of soda ash by Tata Chemicals Magadi Ltd in Kajiado Town and one by Kitengela residents on Introduction of payment of rates on freehold tenure and review of rates payable to leasehold tenure.

Others include a petition by Ngong Council of Village Elders on Enactment of legislation to provide for delineation and establishment of village units within Kajiado County as well as a petition submitted on Employment of the local indigenous community in all private companies/ public institutions and flower farms operating in Kajiado County.

In the same breathe, the Governor highlighted

that key regulations important for the social-economic well-being of the County were pending before the County Assembly and urged the Honorable Members to act fast to consider them. They include :

(i)Amendments to the Kajiado County Public Finance Management (County Bursary Fund) Regulations (2019)

(ii) Alcoholic Drinks Control (Licensing) Regulations, 2019.

The Governor’s address touched on the political atmosphere in the Country with the

The Building Bridges Initiative which he said was conceptualized by President Uhuru Kenyatta and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga as a platform through which certain ills that bedevil the country can be changed. He intimated that the County will within the week be presenting a memorandum in Narok expressing a wish to be incorporated in the final BBI Report. He called upon all honourable members to embrace and board the BBI train and seize the opportunity that could soon transform the County’s political landscape as well as fight injustices and create prosperity for the people. He urged them to keep a focused mind, an open heart and show the county the great things that they, together with the Executive, can do.