Joy, Relief in Bamba As Governor Kingi Launches Sh100m Water Project

Monthly Bulletin

KILIFI COUNTY 003 March, 2021 Issue No. 003 The official newsletter of the County Government of Kilifi INSIDE...

Tourism sector receives Land clinics empower Modern ECDE centres crucial shot in the arm locals regarding use of boost learning in Kilifi: Arrival of yet another airline Governor Amason Kingi on Malindi route and visit crucial resource Land clinics organised by places great premium by Ukraine tour operators a county government enlighten on quality education by harbinger of hope for tourism residents on how to put land investing in modern early sector in Kilifi County. to better use and get better childhood centres. | PAGE 8 | PAGE 6-7 value for their property. | PAGE 9

Governor Amason Kingi operates a machine for sealing pipe joints when he commissioned the water project in Joy, relief in Bamba Bamba. PHOTO/ ALEX FONDO as Governor Kingi launches Sh100m water project

BY ALEX FONDO ver 11,000 residents highest and lowest points along the of Mnagoni and pipeline is 75.7m. Shirango in Bamba The County Government of Kil- ward are set to ben- ifi will pump in Sh13,029,258.06 into efit from a Sh100 the landmark project, as the Water million water project funded jointly Trust Fund injects Sh87,195,803.94 Oby the County Government of Kilifi into the venture. Once complete, and the Water Sector Trust Fund. residents will no longer have to trek The 43.6 kilometre water pipe- for long looking for water as the line, will be launched by Kilifi Gov- average radius between two water ernor Amason Kingi, and is expected points will have been reduced sig- to be completed within 11 months. nificantly. The pipeline will cut through the The project comes at an oppor- slope that stretches from Bamba to tune time when many parts of the Rimarapera and Midoina, before county are experiencing continuous tackling the gentle rise between dry weather and in some instances, Mnagoni, Rimarapera, Midoina and months of continuous drought. Ndharako, crossing a series of val- In his second State of the Coun- leys and gorges in the process. The ty Address to the County Assembly difference in elevation between the Continued on pg 2

March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 1 Continued from pg 2 Kilifi joins drive to fight lifestyle diseases through traditional foods

BY MARION KITHI

ifestyle diseases have remained a major challenge for a section of Kilifi County residents for many years. And unlike before, when the el- derly were the most ravaged by such diseases, younger people are increasingly becom- Ling victims of the same, thanks to the sedentary lifestyle evident in many households today. Kenya Cardiac Society (KCS), an organization that promotes cardiac health in the country, says in a 2019 report that non-communicable diseases caused by poor lifestyles has increased in Kilifi County in the past ten years. Continued from 1 we have been able to quench the thirst This is the situation that the County Gov- of Kilifi, Governor Kingi said his of Kilifi residents as we began laying ernment of Kilifi has set out to change, work- administration was making deliber- afresh, basic infrastructure for water ing with other stakeholders such as the Na- ate efforts to mitigate water scarcity services to improve supplies across tional Government. County Executive for Culture and Gender Anisa Omar (right) listens to an exhibitor during the launch at Karisa by reducing the distance covered by the county especially in worst hit ar- The county has now joined a national cam- Maitha Grounds in Kilifi town, of a campaign to promote consumption of traditional foods to check lifestyle diseases . PHOTO/SAMUEL KAZUNGU residents in search for the valuable eas of Ganze, Magarini and Kaloleni paign to sensitize citizens on the need to con- commodity. Sub-Counties” sume traditional foods as these help in reducing “Since the inception of devolu- In 2017, the County Govern- lifestyle diseases like diabetes, cancer and high- cassava and their diverse variants and legumes. still in your hands; you can decide to eat healthy tion, the County Government of Kil- ment partnered with the Kenya Red blood pressure. Others were assorted fish cooked using coconut and avoid this outcome,” Dr Anisa said. ifi has pumped in excess of Sh1.6B in Cross Society to initiate the 11-Km The campaign dubbed “Traditional foods for milk and prawns. According to Ms Zeifa, local foods contain interconnecting more than 550 km Ganze– Bamba main rising water healthy communities’’, is aimed at encouraging Drinks such as palm wine, and coconut iron and antioxidants which boost immunity. water pipes across the County, conse- project at a cost of Sh180 million. local communities, including the younger genera- milk (madafu), known for their health benefits She urged the county government to deploy nu- quently reducing the average distance This is one of the single largest proj- tion, to embrace their respective traditional foods . when consumed in moderation were on display tritionists to villages to sensitise people on the between water stations from over 5 to ects that the County Government of The launch of the drive at Karisa Maitha too, as were coconuts, cashew nuts, groundnuts importance of traditional foods which many now 3kms. Currently, the average radius Kilifi has undertaken to bring fresh Grounds in Kilifi town, was witnessed by Kilifi and simsim. Fruits, in all their abundance, were view as old fashioned. between 2 water stations is 1.5kms,” and clean water close to residents County Executive for Culture and Gender Anisa strongly recommended by the nutritionists. Dr Kiprop said the main agenda of the cam- said the Governor. of the most populous county in the Omar and Dr Kiprop Lagat, the Director of Cul- Those in attendance were also treated to paign is to sensitize Kenyans on how to plant, The financial support will strong- Coast region. ture at the Ministry of Gender, Sports, Culture tasteful morsels of kadzora, a rodent, which is maintain and consume traditional foods. ly boost resilience and assets in mit- The Kingi administration injected and Social Services, County Director of Culture caught using traps, roasted and taken, preferably, “Our main goal is to see youths embracing igating drought vulnerabilities across Sh105 million into the project which Ishmail Kalume, Mr Julius Mwahunga, county with ugali. traditional foods given that a big percentage Kilifi County, where climate change entailed rehabilitation of the old and director of the United Nation Education, Scien- Dr Anisa, a pediatrician by profession, says of the society has embraced modern foods for has occasioned an increase in intensi- faulty Ganze main pipeline and set- tific and Cultural Organisation (UNESCO) and a it was disheartening to see children aged below 5 lack of better, more nutritious alternatives,” Dr ty and frequency of extreme weather ting up of a water pumping station nutritionist at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital, suffering from lifestyle diseases due to unhealthy Lagat said. events such as severe droughts and and construction of a 320,000-litre Ms Amina Zeifa. eating. She urged residents to embrace locally He said attainment of food security remained floods. A series of historic droughts water storage tank. The event was characterised by display of an available traditional foods as they were highly a top agenda for the government, the reason why in Kilifi County has continuously So far, this project has been able array of traditional foods and demonstrations nutritious, with no side effects. it put in place laws that protect traditional foods occasioned serious environmental, to supply water to over 85,000 resi- on how they are prepared for maximum nutri- “When you visit hospital right now, you and their consumption. One such law is the Tra- economic and social impacts, claim- dents in Ganze Sub-County as well tional gain. will find that 30 percent of those admitted have ditional Knowledge and Cultural Expression Act ing lives, destroying livelihoods and as Hademu in Mwanamwinga Ward, Popular dishes on display were an array of lifestyle diseases. To make matters worse, they of 2016. rendering scores dependent on relief Mwijo in Kayafungo Ward and neigh- vegetables such as pigweed, popularly known are between the age of ten and thirty years. The “Traditional Knowledge and Cultural Ex- assistance. boring communities within Kaloleni as mchicha whose leaves are famed for vita- modern food that people consume is becoming pression Act 2016 was enacted four years ago, Governor Kingi said that with the Sub-County. mins A and C and iron and calcium; Moringa poisonous and we should embrace our local tra- and is being implemented by the Ministry, with help of donors and development part- Recently, the County Govern- (mzungwi), pumpkin leaves (tsatsatsa), Bush ditional foods,” she says. the counties now brought on board in the strat- ners, his administration has achieved ment of Kilifi purchased a drilling rig Okra (mrenda), African nightshade (managu), Dr Anisa further advised that people should egy,” he said. tremendous milestones in addressing to venture into underground water African cabbage (Mwangani), among other minimise use of saturated oils as it contributes to The African Union (AU) has earmarked Year water scarcity in the region. exploration in an attempt to supple- greens. heart diseases. 2021 for promotion of culture and traditional “Through partnership with do- ment the water capacity derived from Also featured were cassava, sweet potatoes ‘’When you are diagnosed with a heart dis- foods and communities should seize the oppor- nors such as The Kenya Red-Cross, the Baricho Water Works. and cereals such as maize, millet, sorghum and ease, it’s a big risk to your health. But the choice is tunity to showcase their traditional foods.

2 March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 3 BY MARION KITHI

abai museum lies about 30 km from Kaloleni town in the semi-arid Rabai location in Kilifi County. Tall trees whiz past as we drive past the Jumbo Steel Mills Lim- ited to the dusty murram road that leads to the Rabai Museum. CRADLE OF We find two workers who readily receive us and after preliminaries that include handwashing, conduct us around the expansive compound that is Rof great historical significance. Rabai Museum occupies a special place in the history of Kilifi County and Kenya at large. It is the cradle of both religion and education in Kenya and East CHRISTIANITY and Central Africa. This is where religion and education began in the early 1844 when Mission- ary Dr.Ludwig Krapf established a mission centre in Rabai. The pioneers later built a school whose original site is now occupied by Mwabaya Nyundo primary school. According to Mr. Daniel Munga, a curator at the museum, the place is of great significance since it also bears a lot of information on the Mijikenda cul- IN E. AFRICA ture. Straddling a spacious part of the ground is St Paul’s ACK Church, arguably the first Christian worship place to be built in East Africa. Through necessary rehabilitation to enable it weather the elements, the church building still stands Participants receive certificates at the end of the training which was conducted by a team from the tall, towering over the adjacent buildings and trees. At a corner of the compound National Counter-Terrorism Centre. PHOTO/ALEX is the cemetery, where the remains of the pioneer indigneous Christian leaders FONDO were interred. The Church and the museum have remained attractions for tourists and County enforcement Christian pilgrims keen to trace the root of their faith in the continent and ac- icalization agenda and global effects, sensor pro- quaint themselves with the advent of Christianity in the continent. grammes, cyber security and tackling terror. This knowledge, he said, was very essen- tial for any security agent and especially present officers take up key times when the country is working tirelessly to defeat violent extremism and radicalization. “We will be coming with more intensive training which will involve the National Po- lice Service and all other multi-agency security role in war on terror teams,” he added. Kilifi County Executive Member for Devo- 1 2 BY SAADA MWARANDU and critical sensors in detection of terrorism lution Prof. Gabriel Katana said that the training threats. was very significant to all security agents and nforcement officers in Kilifi County The officers were taken through a rigorous would come in handy in tackling terror threats. have been roped into the war against two-day training that focused on a wide range of The county government will set out clear terrorism, as the national and coun- issues, but with the sole intent of making them plans to extend the training to county staff be- ty governments seek to consolidate key cogs in the ever spinning wheel of the war sides the enforcement team, he added. gains made in countering violent ex- on terrorism. Devolution Chief Officer Adan Mohamed tremism and radicalisation in the region. County askaris are charged with protecting also said the department was planning to train EIn a bid to nip in the bud any form of vio- country offices, assets and installations and con- more enforcement officers as a way of creating lent extremism in Kilifi County, the National trol and regulate entry into the said premises. preparedness and enhancing the county’s secu- Counter-Terrorism Center (NCTC) has rolled Their level of awareness on terrorism-related rity. out training for county enforcement officers sta- matters is therefore critical in detection of threats Being in the Coast region, Kilifi County was tioned across the county. and raising of alarm in potentially risky situa- likely to be exposed to violent extremism and 3 The training is aimed at enhancing and wid- tions. radicalization, he said. It was therefore crucial for ening information sharing in an effort to create Col. Harun Rashid from the NCTC, laid out the county enforcement team to be prepared and awareness and turn the county askaris into agents the focus areas in the training. They include rad- equipped for such a key role. “We are ready to work closely with the other security agents to ensure that security levels in the county are of quality standards,” said Mr Mohamed. 4 5 He also called for cooperation between national and county security agents in tackling in- security. 1. St Paul’s Church in Rabai County Executive for Devolution Prof Gabriel Katana 2. Statue of Missionary Dr Ludwig Krapf at Rabai (centre) and Chief Officer for Devolution Adan Mo- 3-5: Historical gems on display inside the museum hamed(third left) join top officers from the National 6. Grave for pioneer indigenous Christian leaders who served in the first church after the Counter-Terrorism Centre for a photo during the 6 departure of the white missionaries. PHOTOS/SAMUEL KAZUNGU training. PHOTO/ALEX FONDO

4 March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 5 Major boost for education as Governor Kingi invests in pre-school centres for Kilifi children

BY STEPHEN KONDE

he quest to provide quality education for pre-primary school pupils in Kilifi County has always been a key driver in improving education standards in the region. Since devolution was actualized, the Coun- Tty Government of Kilifi has made it a priority to develop infrastructure for its Early Childhood learners and build a strong ECDE through a modern curriculum for its ECDE pupils. When the County Government took over the management of Early Childhood Development Baraka Pre-School in Mariakani Ward Blue Glue Pre-School in Adu ward Bungale Pre-School in Sokoke ward Chodari Pre-School in Junju ward Education, there was absolutely no system nor relevant infrastructure in place. There were very few nursery classrooms hence the county had to start from scratch. This is one of the sectors that had been for- gotten by successive national governments. There were 79,789 nursery school going children in Kil- ifi County who lacked access to proper learning amenities in 2012. The county had to start from scratch building new classes to improve access and retention and creating a conducive learning environment for the children of Kilifi. In total 2285 classes needed to be built by the county government to sustain the huge population of nursery school going children. Bureni Pre-School in Junju ward Chumba cha Tsuwi Pre-School in Grashi ward Dzitsuhe Pre-School in Adu ward Gabriel Kahindi Pre-School-Toilets in Mwanamwinga ward In areas such as Ganze, Magarini and Kalo- leni constituencies which were highly marginal- ised, the schools were battling challenges ranging from low enrolment numbers to lack of basic in- frastructural facilities such as classrooms, desks and lack of stationery including text books, exer- cise books, pencils etc. For a basic learning institution, students had to contend to learning under harsh conditions, such as learning under trees, sitting on stones or logs or writing on the earth using their fingers. Despite the challenges that the county education sector has faced, there has been a sharp con- trast from what the county government found in 2013 and now. Gahaleni Pre-School in Ganda ward Gede Pre-School in Dabaso ward Goshi Pre-School in Kakuyuni ward Juhudi Pre-School in Mwanamwinga ward Overall, the county government has constructed 817 ECD classrooms in all parts of Kilifi County and will continue to do so every year. Out of this, 712 classrooms are complete and operational while 105 are at different stages of com pletion. Additionally, the county government has constructed 589 child friendly toilets to enable access to proper sanitation facilities protecting the children from hygiene-related diseases Out of this, 525 toilets are complete and operational while 64 are at different stages of completion Kikwanguloni Pre-School in Ganze ward Mabirikani Pre-School in Ganze ward Makata Pre-School in Chasimba ward Matsangoni Pre-School in Matsangoni ward

6 March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 7 Land clinics curb deadly wrangles, empower Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi (2nd left), County Executive for residents to get value for their property Tourism and Trade Nahida Mohamed (centre) and other dignitaries receive the maiden skyward express flight to Malindi in Kilifi County. PHOTOS | MOHAMED MUTAKINA

Better times beckon for tourism sector in Kilifi after Covid blow

BY SAADA MWARANDU This will greatly promote trade and Tourism Economic Stimulus Fund that he tourism sector in Kilifi tourism, by rejuvenating both local and seeks to provide soft loans to tourism County is gearing for better international tourism which have been the “The County establishments to aid in reviving the times after yet another air- worst-hit by the Covid 19 Pandemic. Government tourism industry after the devastation of line joined the Nairobi -Ma- The Deputy Governor also said that of Kilifi is Covid-19. lindi route. the County Government of Kilifi recog- working The commencement of flights by Sky- Skyward Express is now the second nizes the immense contribution of the closely with ward to Malindi came hot on the heels of County Executive for Lands Maureen Mwangovya (2nd left) accompanied by the Kilifi County Attorney Bibi Fondo (left) arrive for one of the sessions of the county valua- Tafter Jambojet, a subsidiary of Kenya Air- tourism sector to the country’s economy tourism a visit to Kilifi County by a delegation of tion court. PHOTO/GEORGE KIKAMI ways, which has lately been enjoying a and has put in tremendous effort in reviv- stakeholders tour operators from Ukraine. near-monopoly of the increasingly lucra- ing and supporting the sector. The tour operators were impressed both at the BY MARION KITHI tive route. “The County Government of Kilifi is national and with the tourism products that exist in Chief Officer for Lands, the county Government And things can only look better with working closely with tourism stakeholders county level. Kilifi County and promised to recom- and is known the world over as a We want to empower our people introduced the land clinics as part of a behaviour the planned expansion of the Malindi In- both at the national and county level. We We have mend Kilifi to the potential clients back critical factor of production and an through behaviour change in a way change campaign, aimed at enabling them to see ternational Airport by the Kenya Airports have developed strategies that seek to pro- developed home in Ukraine. economic empowerment tool. that makes people recognise land as a the numerous opportunities for using land to Authority, amove thjat will open it up to mote Kilifi as a tourist destination,” said strategies The visit by the tour operators served However, in Kilifi County, the resource, a factor of production and as improve their liveliohoods. even bigger passenger planes. Eng. Saburi as a harbinger of better things to come, opposite has been the case, to the ‘’We want to empower our people through that seek to key to economic, political and cultural Present to receive Skyward’s maiden He said the havoc wreaked by corona- as Ukraine and Kenya firm up plans for chagrin of many residents. behaviour change in a way that makes people promote Kili- development for today and posterity flight to Malindi was a group of dignitar- virus on the trade and tourism sectors left direct flights from the European nation, LFor many years, land has been a tool of divi- recognise land as a resource, a factor of pro- in Kilifi. ies led by Kilifi County Deputy Governor both the regional and national economies fi as a tourist a development that is expected to bolster sion and family strife, depriving the very people duction and as key to economic, political and Gideon Saburi and County Executive for reeling and in need of urgent rejuvenation. destination the fortunes of the tourism industry in who are expected to benefit of the chance to use cultural development for today and posterity in Tourism and Trade Nahida Mohamed. The county government has also pro- Kilifi County which boasts of many out- it for economic empowerment and scale the lad- Kilifi,’’ sadi Dr Nguzo. “The inaugural Skyward Express air- vided opportunities to the eco-tourism standing attractions. der of development. Beset by these land-related woes and challeng- Citing poverty as the driver of most land line new route to Malindi is going to play groups in Kilifi County through the Kil- But this scenario is fast changing, thanks to es, the residents have enthusiastically embraced sales in Kilifi County, Dr Nguzo cited a case in a key role in bolstering the tourism sector ifi Micro-finance Fund (Mbegu Fund) to County Executive for Tourism and Trade Nahida Mohamed (right) an initiative dubbed Kilifi Couty Land Clinics the initiative and routinely come out in large num- which a man with 7.5 acres of land in Chakama and also play a major role in stimulating boost their businesses and bring on board addressess a delagation of two operators from Ukraine who were on a which are meant to empower locals on matters bers whenever the sessions are convened. Settlement Scheme, sold it for Sh100,000 “to buy fact-finding mission in Kilifi County.PHOTO | MOHAMED MUTAKINA trade and investment opportunities in Kil- local tourism stakeholders including of land ownership, transactions and how they One things that stands out like a sour thumb a boda boda at Sh80,000 and iron sheets for a ifi County,” said Eng Saburi. youth and women groups. can maximise gains from their property. in the course of the deliberations and feedback struture he wanted to put up”. The presence of Skyward in the Ma- According to the Deputy Governor, The land clinics have been carried out in all from the residents is the role of poverty in de- He advised the residents to explore al- lindi route continues to consolidate Kilifi the County Government has partnered the seven sub-counties and 35 wards, with the cisions by individuals and families to sell their ternative ways of raising money such as leas- County’s position as a tourism destination with the Tourism Finance Corporation aim of addressing land succession, valuation, portions of land, at a throw-away price. ing their property instead of selling it at be- and business hub. (TFC) to give stakeholders access to the transfers and subdivisions. According to Dr James Nguzo, the County low-market rates.

8 March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 9 BY SAADA MWARANDU A specialist attends to a patient at the Kilifi County Referral Hospital’s Eye Clinic. The Eye Clinic has received an he County Govern- array of modern equipment for treating eye ailments, offering hope and relief to ment continues to many locals who have had to travel far to open up local towns get treatment for their conditions. MORE NEW ROADS LINED PHOTO/SHEKHA SULUBU and transform them through an elaborate infrastructure improvement proj- Tect that has seen many roads tar- macked and many others upgraded. The transformation is being UP FOR KILIFI RESIDENTS realised through the Kilifi County Urban Upgrading Programme, that also has the twin effect of improving the towns’ economy and livelihoods. In February alone, the Depart- ment of Roads commissioned the upgrading of three key roads in Mariakani, Magarini and Mtwa- pa as implementation of the pro- BY ALEX FONDO gramme rolled on. In Mariakani, the programme targeted the road stretch from esidents of Kilifi County will Mariakani stage to Mariakani Voca- no longer have to travel to Eye centre provides hope to tional Training Centre. Mombasa or Nairobi in search Known as the MARSECO By- of specialized eye diagnosis Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi launches the pass, the road is being upgraded to or surgeries after the County Deputy Governor Gideon Saburi arrives in Marafa Ward, Magarini upgrade of the Mtwapa Picana - Jumba Ruins road bitumen standard and is intended to in Shimo la Tewa Ward. Government of Kilifi received a set of mod- residents with sight ailments sub-county for the launch of Angels Bay-Posta Road works. decongest Mariakani trading cen- Rern equipment from the Fred Hollows Foun- ter. The road works were launched dation in partnership with the Latter-Day “Kilifi residents can now come to our by Governor Amason Kingi. Saint Charity. facility for specialized eye treatment with- In Mtwapa, the upgrading of The Sh6 million equipment which in- out incurring unnecessary costs. We already the Mtwapa Picana to Jumba Ruins clude an operating microscope, a scan, an have an established health system and the road is set to change the face of Shi- autorefractor machine, among many others, right human resource to operate this equip- mo la Tewa Ward and Mtwapa town will go a long way in helping locals access this ment and offer services,” said the CEC. itself. much needed service at Kilifi County Refer- He reiterated that his department would Similarly, work has started on ral Hospital’s Eye Clinic. ensure eye services are made available across the 5km Angels Bay-Posta Road in Kilifi County Deputy Governor Engi- the county by training more staff to provide Mambrui, Marafa Ward in Magari- neer Gideon Saburi said this intervention the services. ni which will be upgraded to bitu- was timely and would help many afflicted -lo “We are looking to improve on our in- men standard. cals get timely treatment for their eye prob- frastructure as well as employ more health “We have come up with an up- lems. workers as well as offer refresher courses for grading programme targeting roads “We have invested heavily in healthcare our personnel so they can operate the mod- in major towns. The intention is not provision by setting up the requisite infra- ern equipment. We will also conduct a seri- only to give them a facelift but also structure and hiring the necessary personnel ities in the region in order to support them ous public awareness campaign to sensitize trigger economic activities that will to provide the best services. This donation and improve service delivery. the community on the importance of eye improve the livelihood of commu- means a lot as it will supplement our efforts She termed the donations the begin- health” nities in the concerned areas,” said as a Government’ said Mr Saburi, when he ning of a partnership between the County In the last financial year, the Coun- Mr Kenneth Kazungu, the County received the donations. Government of KIlifi and the Fred Hollows ty Government of Kilifi recruited a total of Chief Officer for Roads. He added that the County administra- Foundation which would see both parties in- 139 mixed cadres of health workers in an Speaking in Mambrui in Maga- tion will continue to allocate more funds vest in preventing and correcting blindness effort to reduce the gap in staffing levels in rini Sub-County the chief officer towards the health sector for better service with straightforward, inexpensive measures. local health facilities with a view to meeting Governor Amason Kingi operates a grader when he lauched the tarmacking of the road stretch from Mariakani stage to Mariakani roads during the commissioning Vocational Centre. PHOTOS | ALEX FONDO delivery. “We are optimistic that this funding and World Health Organization (WHO) ratios the tarmacking of 5km Angels Bay “We are set to transform our health sec- equipment will be vital in training eyecare on the same. –Posta road said that the this road across the county to ease movement to boost tourism and businesses phasis on revamping infrastruc- tor through program-based budgeting and staff and ensure we have skilled personnel The County Government under the will open up the economy of the of goods from the farms to the mar- however he urged the locals to ture in our major towns under the we will work closely with donors and part- and educate people on the importance of Transforming Health Systems (THS) project locality ,ease movement and spur kets in the major towns. work closely with the engineers County urban upgrading program ners to ensure every citizen of Kilifi has easy regular eye check-ups,” said Ms Ohoma. has strengthened community health strategy local businesses in the resort town Roads county executive mem- and contractors in order to facili- with the aim of opening them up access to specialized healthcare services,” the County Health Executive Charles Dadu through establishment of 145 Community of mambrui. ber Josphat Mwatela said that the tate the completion of the projects for investments, ease traffic and DG said. said the equipment will ease the financial Health Units (CHUs). Mr. Kazungu also said that the county government is working on time. congestion in the towns of Mtwapa According to the Fred Hollows Founda- burden faced by residents as they seek spe- This has increased coverage by the department of roads is also in the tirelessly to ensure roads are de- “We are executing this trans- and Mariakani. Stated Kilifi Deputy tion Kenya Country Manager Jane Ohoma, cialised eye treatment outside the region or CHUs in the county from 30% to 78% in the process of upgrading rural roads veloped across the county in order formative plan that lays major em- Governor Gideon Saburi. the foundation is identifying eye health facil- even abroad. last financial year.

10 March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi March, 2021 - County Government of Kilifi 11 How administrators are championing the cause of devolution in the wards

BY KERRY KAREMBO clock to make sure that the positive effects of dinating citizens’ participation in the devel- hey are the face of devolution at devolution is felt within the communities where opment of policies and plans and delivery of the grassroots level, representing they serve. service among other services, a role that is set the Executive arm of the County “It’s our day-to-day duty to make sure that we to increase with the recent passage of the Kilifi Government in their respective lo- document all projects undertaken and also carry County Citizen. calities. out civic education to see the level of understand- When Covid-19 struck early last year, the With their attentive schedule of overseeing ing the community has on county projects imple- ward administrators took part in public aware- Tthe implementation of county projects at the mentation plans. In case a community rejects a ness campaigns, traversing the sub-counties and ward level, informing the community on their project, we have to also document that for a fol- wards as they augmented efforts by the Executive progress and getting relevant feedback, the seven low-up,” he said. to rally masses to adhere to protocols rolled out sub-county administrators and their 35 ward ad- In line with the spirit and dictates of Devo- by the Ministry of Health and World Health Or- ministrators work around the clock to make sure lution, the County Government of Kilifi has ganisation to curb spread of killer virus. that devolution works best for the interest of the decentralized its functions and provisions of “Their zeal as they work in the wards and community. services to the people of Kilifi at the ward level, among local communities is a contributing factor Their mandate is to make sure that all proj- complete fully fledged and equipped Sub-Coun- to the achievements of the county government ects implemented by the county government go ty Offices where citizens can seek services and despite the numerous difficulties they encounter as planned. At the same time, they are the eyes, assistance. in the course of their work,” observes Mr Deche. ears and sensors of the County Government, Because of their responsibilities that in- putting down on paper complaints or feedback clude coordinating, managing and supervising “This is so encouraging because we get to from the communities and taking it back to the functions of the Executive at the grassroots, the know both the positive impacts of our projects County Executive. sub-county bosses and their ward administrators to the community people. At the ward level, our They work in harmony with the Ward Repre- are often referred to as the “eyes’ of the Governor officers work hard to bring about change through sentatives, the elected representatives of the peo- by the wananchi they serve. civic education and other direct engagements ple who serve in the legislative arm of the county They also help in facilitating and coor- with the wananchi,” he adds. government - the County Assembly. According to Magarini Sub-County Admin- Ward administrators and other county government staff istrator Richard Lwambi, the ward administrators during a consultative meeting at the Sub-County Adminis- trator’s office in Magarini. The session was presided over by make sure that the presence of the Governor and Magarini Sub-County Administrator Richard Lwambi. PHOTO/ the entire Executive is felt at the ward level. SAMUEL KAZUNGU “They go the extra mile in carrying out activities including civic education to make sure that the residents understand the planned pro- grammes and projects for follow-up and ques- tioning whenever they feel something is not right with a project,” he said during an interview in his office in Magarini. Mr Lwambi is upbeat that even with a myriad of challenges, their zeal to serve the community as an appendage of the Executive at the grassroots surpasses any hindrance and hurdles they routinely face in the course of their work. “Some of the wards are vast but somehow you see the administrators deep in the rural areas serving the people. That is the call of duty which they have to do to make the presence of the executive felt to the common mwananchi,” he said. The sentiments were echoed by his Ganze counterpart Joel Deche, who observes that the ward administrators have to work around the