Kahiga delivers his development credit score to the county

Nyeri,

Thursday, November 30, 2022

KNA by Samuel Maina/Wangari Mwangi

Governor Mutahi Kahiga has listed improvement in agriculture, education, health and infrastructure as some of his key achievements during his first year in office.

Addressing County Assembly Members (MCAs) yesterday during his first status of county address, Kahiga also said the county has managed to clear all pending bills owed to suppliers and attributed this achievement to sound fiscal discipline in his administration.

He also said the county had managed to retain the statutory requirement of 30 per cent of the total budget for development purposes with the county managing to absorb 96 percent of monies disbursed by the Treasury.

“We have ensured and sustained expenditure and fiscal discipline, which has given the county a clean bill of health in the absorption of the annually allocated resources from the national treasury as well as the externally disbursed resources ,an average of 96 per cent annually .We gave also ensured that the development budget is retained according to the statutory requirement of the 30 percent of the total budget .Additionally ,I must attest at the outset that Nyeri County has cleared all committed pending bills owed to our supplies, ”he told the lawmakers during the session also attended by Nyeri Senator Wamatinga Wahome.

On agriculture, the county boss said his administration had set aside some Sh 596 million during the 2022/2023 financial year for purposes of boosting food production in the county.       

He said this has been made possible through partnership with Kenya Climate Smart Agriculture Project (KCSAP) and the Agriculture Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP 11), a tripartite collaboration bringing together the Government of Kenya, the Government of Sweden and the European Union.

 Through the collaboration the county has managed to enhance food productivity through climate resilient mechanisms that has seen 14 coffee factories undergo modernization at a cost of Sh 64.7 million.

Besides, the collaboration has seen the construction of Kakuret and Nganyuthe Water Projects to provide water for irrigation at a cost of Sh 90 million.

“We have increased agricultural productivity and built resilience to climate change risks in smallholder farmers by supporting the approval of six Enterprise Development Plans for coffee revitalization projects in Mugaga Coffee Factory, Ruthuma coffee factory, Othaya coffee factory, Gathaithi coffee factory, Mutheka coffee factory and Ruthaka coffee factory. Further to this, 14 coffee factories were identified for modernization at a cost of Sh 64,762,6856,” he said.

   “To increase productivity through value chain actors, the government, through the Agriculture Sector Development Support Program (ASDSP 11) has supported capacity building for 3,000 value chain actors, including 1,200 cow milk value chain actors, 840 indigenous chicken actors and 960 Irish potato value chain actors. Through the same project we have carried out capacity-building for farmers to ensure that they increase their productivity,” he went on.

While making his maiden address to the county assembly last year following his reelection for a second term, Kahiga had pledged to utilize at least 100,000 hectares of arable land in the county as one way of boosting food production both for the local consumption and external market.

 The Governor pledged to turn the county into a breadbasket by adopting modern farming technologies and advanced livestock husbandry practices including completing the construction works on 20 water reservoirs to help in supplying water to farmers for irrigation purposes.

“I have committed to mechanize agriculture by completion of 20-large-scale dams, support small-holder agriculture drip irrigation, and work with the private sector to enhance commercial agricultural production on at least 100,000 hectares. I have committed to rehabilitate 30 dams and 100 water pans to increase water supply for irrigation, power generation, and increase acreage under irrigation to 20,000 hectares from the current 5,000 hectares,” he had told the 42-member house.

To boost income sources for the residents, the county government has managed to construct ten new markets while work on six others is still ongoing.

 Among the markets that have already been completed include Nyeri Open air market, Naromoru market shades, Mihuti markets, Othaya markets, Githakwa market stalls, Giagatika market and Marikiti markets.

 In addition, the government has set aside Sh 10 million through the Nyeri County Enterprise Development Fund to be loaned to small traders to boost their businesses.

“The Department of Trade has settled and allocated 1,500 traders with market spaces while it continues to improve the trading environment for traders in markets by providing better roofing, better floors, lighting and water. In the last financial year, Sh 10 million was allocated for the Nyeri County Enterprise Development Fund to boost the kitty. These funds are to act as a revolving fund that will boost the capital base and liquidity of our SMEs. The Enterprise Development Fund benefitted 76 borrowers,” he said.

And to boost the growth of cooperative movement in the county, Kahiga told the lawmakers his administration has already presided over 100 cooperative elections besides training 600 cooperative leaders on financial management and good governance.

In addition, the county has seen the entry of 12 additional entities into the cooperative industry pushing the number of cooperative societies in Nyeri to 195 whose combined membership now stands at 500,000 members.

 The members are drawn from various income segments ranging from agriculture to the transport sector.

 Overall, the cooperative sector in Nyeri boasts of some Sh 2.4 billion in share capital and an asset base of over Sh 22 billion.

 On Education Kahiha said his government has continued to support Early Childhood Development Caregivers (ECDE) through provision of much needed resources such as stationery and furniture besides improving the terms of services for the 790 members of staff working at the centers.

So far the county government has distributed a total of 20,000 exercise books to all ECDE learners in all schools and undertaken infrastructural development works in Karundas,Kanjora,Muragina and Kiamathamo ECDE centers .

“We have provided chairs and tables to 75 ECDE centers, which we believe will improve the working environment for our teachers. We have also distributed 20,000 exercises to all our ECDE pupils to ease their learning. The County Public Service Board adopted the terms for the ECDE caregivers with effect from July 1, 2023. Previously the terms were being paid a gross salary of Sh 12,500 but now they are being paid according to the prevailing job groups,” he continued.

During the same period, the county government has assisted a total 7,787 needy and bright students through the Elimu Bursary Fund amounting to Sh 36.3 million.

 Out of this, 6,930 are for normal bursaries ,240 scholarships while 617 are meant for extremely needy cases.

And in a bid to confront emerging health challenges, the county boss said his government has prioritized the elimination of communicable diseases in a bid to lessen morbidity and mortality rates.

 The Governor singled out diabetes, cancer, hypertension and cardiovascular diseases as the new health headache for the county which he termed a ‘double burden’.

To address the challenge, the county government has embarked on strengthening collaboration efforts with health-related sectors and equipping and staffing all medical facilities across the eight sub counties.

 Kahiga also cited the completion and opening of the Naromoru level 4 hospital and the commissioning of the Iururu Rehabilitation and Treatment Centers as some of the key achievements in tackling the health burden in the county.

“The County is experiencing a ‘double burden’ of disease, which entails lingering communicable diseases along with an increased burden of non-communicable conditions, including diabetes, cancers, hypertension, and cardiovascular diseases. On health commodities, we continuously procure and supply health commodities to all 131 County Government health facilities with a fill rate of over 60 per cent. The department of health procured distributed medical drugs and other medical supplies worth Sh 160 million in the last financial year and has set aside Sh 243 million for this financial year,” he stated.

Among those who accompanied the Governor included his deputy David Kinanie and several County Executive Committee Members.

Courtesy; KNA