Governor Bii enumerates his one-year achievements

Eldoret,

Wednesday, September 27, 2023

KNA by Judy Too

After one year of taking office, the Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii has outlined some of his successes on NGUZO KUMI development agenda, saying the agenda was to positively impact the lives of the great people of Uasin Gishu and their families.

Speaking at the county assembly, in his inaugural State of the County Address to the public he noted that the sectors responsible for driving this agenda are agriculture, infrastructure and education.

He said in his administration the Education and Social Protection Sector is one of the greatest enablers comprising Education and Vocational Training; Gender, Culture, and Social Protection and Youth Affairs and Sports.

“My vision is to provide quality Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) on skills development and nurture talent in the areas of sports and arts, Sh. 9.3million was allocated and utilized for enhancing ECDE infrastructure and this allocation facilitated the construction of 91 ECDE classrooms, 41 ablution blocks, the construction of a kitchen, and the procurement of essential furniture and fittings for 6 ECDE centres,” said Bii.

“An additional allocation of Sh. 22 million was dedicated to providing essential teaching and learning materials to over 10,000 ECDE pupils across the County,” he said.

Still on education the governor noted that the two greatest milestones of his administration are the confirmation of 1,274 ECDE teachers on Permanent and Pensionable terms and the rollout of the ECDE school milk Programme which has not only boosted pupil retention but also improved enrolment rates by 8.6 percent in all public ECDEs.  

“The conferment has transformed the working environment for teachers, changed their attitudes positively towards teaching, and given them financial confidence and independence,” said Bii.

“We have achieved significant progress in Vocational Training, by allocating Sh.33 million towards infrastructural development, including the construction of administration blocks and the procurement of tools and equipment,” he noted.

 He further noted that his administration has disbursed a remarkable Sh.119.5 million in bursaries to support over 18,071 needy students throughout our County.

The governor also highlighted the agricultural sector in his list of accomplishments, noting that aagriculture serves as the cornerstone of our county’s economy.

 “As the primary source of sustenance for our country our commitment lies in implementing intelligent, technology-driven solutions to mitigate the challenges posed by the ever-evolving climatic conditions,” said Bii.

“My government has supplied 300 bags of Irish potatoes to farmer groups in Ainabkoi Sub-County, 16,666 avocado seedlings, 83,333 coffee seedlings, 72,152 pyrethrum splits, and 8,000 Macadamia seedlings across the County to promote crop diversification,” he said.

“In an effort to support farmers in reducing pre- and post-harvest losses, my government has distributed pesticides to farmers for the control of pests in cereals, coffee, and horticultural crops,” said Bii adding that there is ongoing construction of Kimoning cereal stores in Tembelio ward in Moiben Sub County.

“In collaboration with other agencies to promote programmes such as the Agriculture Sector Development Support programme, my government procured climate-smart technologies comprising egg incubators, juice extractors, feed mixers among others which were distributed to farmer groups across the county,” said the governor.

On infrastructure the governor said the roads transport and public works are crucial for enssensitizationuring safe connectivity within our communities.

“My government has graded 816 kilometres of access roads, out of which 409 kilometres were gravelled and compacted serving both rural and urban areas across the County with an emphasis on climate change resilience,” he said.

 “We have inaugurated and opened 76 kilometres of new roads across 13 Wards,” he noted.

He further noted that his ggovernment installed 272 culverts of various sizes, significantly improving drainage in our roads and human settlements.

“We have achieved remarkable progress, completing a total of 107 road construction and maintenance projects that were implemented by local contractors including youth, women, and Persons with disabilities,” he noted.

Courtesy; KNA