Nyandarua Magazine BUNGETowards people-centred governance May - September 2019 | Vol. 2 | Issue No. 1 Public Participation: Swallow Let’s the bitter pill and roll up our sleeves To be an Exemplary County Assembly within the VISION Commonwealth To Effectively Represent, Legislate and Provide Oversight for Sustainable Development in MISSION Nyandarua County Accessibility Accountability CORE Equity Integrity VALUES Team Work Innovativeness Making Nyandarua Better Editorial Team Editor in Chief Hon. Wahome Ndegwa, MBS Associate Editor Mr. Mureithi Wairimu Editorial Team Members 1. Gideon Mukiri 2. David Gitau 3. Wanjohi Gakio 4. Wachanga Ngondi 5. Peter Waweru 6. Martha Wacuka 7. Lewis Njenga 8. Benson Njogu 9. Moses Mbuthia 10. Grace Ng’ang’a Feedback should be channelled at: [email protected] © Nyandarua County Assembly CONTENTS 5 Word from the Speaker 7 Message from the Clerk 8 Let’s swallow the bitter pill and roll up our sleeves OPINION: Promoting self-governance through public 9 participation Espouse public participation to enhance self- 10 representation 12 Centrality of ICT in county agricultural productivity Optimizing ICT usage in Nyandarua County 13 Assembly 14 Grief: shock me not! 15 FEATURES 17 Early Childhood & Education 19 Understanding the budget 21 The Nyandarua County Finance Bill 23 Devolution Championing women rights and dreams through 25 devolution 26 Guest writers corner 27 Stress: the silent killer Optimizing political capacity to boost county 29 development 30 Your Financial Advisor 31 Saving and borrowing: understanding interest rates 33 News 38 Q&A 40 Sports 42 Assembly’s finest feted 44 Knowledge and Leisure 45 Poetic Showers 46 Facts and Fun Word from the SPEAKER liberation is the prime goal of a civil We must increasingly mortal. A poet qualified it as ‘eternal espouse consultative spirit of a chainless governance. mind’. The question thus It encourages me to learn that the begs: are we residents of our great county are a liberated becoming increasingly cognizant and populace? appreciative of their participatory role We can in county governance. They are an only boast inseparable stakeholder in county liberation as development and the Nyandarua County a county if we Assembly, under my stewardship, has unfetter ourselves always strived to meet their aspirations. from the social, This 2nd Issue of Bunge Magazine economic and majorly focuses on public participation, political a broad subject that is approached from different standpoints by various public institutions. But constitutionally, citizen involvement in county legislation and development is a right. The County Government of Nyandarua has a mandatory duty to prioritize mwananchi’s legislative and developmental needs. On the other hand, county residents must reclaim their actual place in county governance and aggressively participate in driving our county’s agenda. A patriot would say that Nyandarua Bunge Magazine 5 predicaments that many developed countries their potentialities productively. beleaguer us. We must that gainfully exploited their Let us invest our energies emancipate ourselves indigenous resources to attain towards growth of our county. from corruption, impunity, economic prosperity. We must be innovative in every imprudence, selfishness and Lee Kuan Yew, one of the aspect of our lives. Just like other iniquities that chain our most significant and influential Singaporeans, let us ennoble minds and hearts. figures in Singapore’s history, decent trade and investment. We must increasingly divulges that the small Asian In this regard, I challenge espouse consultative country, which acquired those of us in leadership to governance. The County independence two years work together to ensure that Assembly has taken a lead in after Kenya did, attained her our county has realized its full this. In fact, it has made citizen economic fruition through potential. We should not only engagement in execution of all ‘hard work, planning, and develop viable county plans and its constitutional mandates a improvising’. These are policies but also set realizable key strategic objective. economic principles that we can development priorities. It is the Our county possesses practically borrow as a county. only way we can realize our inexhaustible developmental I therefore encourage the visions for the county — the potential which we must people of Nyandarua County, only avenue towards economic unlock. We can learn from especially the youth, to exploit emancipation. 6 Nyandarua Bunge Magazine Message from theClerk ince 2013 our aspiration arms of a county government to promote a people- and stakeholders. Therefore, centred governance has in executing its constitutional Sremained on course. In mandates, the county legislature this regard, the Nyandarua considers the public one of its County Assembly has always core stakeholders. endeavoured to involve county Appreciating that through residents in all its activities. public participation people’s It encourages me to note problems are brought to the that this 2nd Issue of the fore, my office encourages the Bunge Magazine explores people of Nyandarua County various sub themes that are to always muster the courage indispensably central to fruitful to lawfully propose apposite governance. These include solutions to county legislative public participation, budgeting, challenges. agriculture, devolution, civil It has universally been society advocacy, education, proved that thriving of objective strategic planning, information citizen involvement in any communication technology, et form of governance quashes cetera. polemicism, demagogy and Truly, sovereign power political sycophancy — vices is constitutionally vested that incomparably corrode in the people. This Issue progressive governance. In view therefore puts significant of this, the County Assembly emphasis on the centrality shall always strive to develop of citizen involvement in and approve people-centred county governance and policies and laws. development. “It may be possible Effective public through detachment,” Harry participation, quite Stack Sullivan says, “to gain concernedly, allows knowledge that is useful; but mwananchi to play a part only through participation is it in county decision making. possible to gain the knowledge It creates seminal platforms that is helpful.” Desist therefore upon which residents contribute from being detached from to county development. How county government operations. else could they make their Strive instead to contribute to priorities known to the county the realization of the county’s The County Assembly government? governmental goals. It is the In another perspective, only way you can boast, among shall always strive to involvement of the public many others, sustainable health develop and approve in county governance, care, efficient county transport by enhancing a reliable system, accessible clean water, people-centred atmosphere of transparency better-quality education, viable policies and laws. and accountability, creates a agricultural services and boundless linkage between the dynamic trade system. Nyandarua Bunge Magazine 7 Let’s A past public participation forum in Ol’ Kalou swallowthe bitter pill and roll up our sleeves By JUDY KINYUA to partake of the unleavened futile praises for the exploited bread and the bitter herbs in mwananchi remain a matter of earnest preparation for the procedure and convention? It is grand exodus of freedom from now time to disdain the political Egypt. mouths that open to pour Our country is a sovereignty gimmick about the repressed and her prosperity demands us capabilities of Wanjiku as to take various exoduses. We regards county development. must take a departure towards We must roll up our sleeves and attainment of autonomous claim our place and space in governance in the counties. county governance. It is the only As citizens, therefore, we must onslaught we could launch over he bitter pill has to recognize our role in devolution. the political bigots who ride be swallowed. Yes, Are we decision makers or roughshod over us. swallow we must! Even passive participants in county The citizenry must be Tthe children of Israel, governance? allowed to proactively regain when they felt that they had The time for vain recognition their role in county decision had enough of slavery, agreed is over. For how long will making, which demands county 8 Nyandarua Bunge Magazine governments to install firm and However, we must speak in one our institutions and have accountable public participation loud but objective voice. Yea, the collective courage to mechanisms. Constitutionally, this we must do. question it of failed or stalled the public has a right to interact Our leaders should projects through our political and exchange views on county implement our communally representatives. leadership and development. endeared projects and The development goodies We are the major programmes, not their selfishly drawn in the political manifestos instigated ones. stakeholders in county that the people of Nyandarua governance and hence our County were promised, for developmental needs must be Only by claiming our example, were as noble as the prioritised. Accordingly, we must position in county Big Four agenda of the national question whether the county decision making can government. In this regard, governments give precedence we boast sustainable they should satisfactorily be to our social, economic and delivered. political priorities. In this sixth sovereignty. But we should