By BONIFACE MULU
The skills development is a way to go, the South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) Vice Chancellor Professor Geoffrey M.Muluvi has said.
“The Kenya of today is about the skills development,” the don further said. Muluvi said that they (the SEKU) are going to be offering some skills transfer trainings for the Kitui County government’s workers under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) that they the university have signed with the county government.
“The funding for the trainings is by the African Development Bank,” he said. He was speaking to thousands of people during the MOU’s official launching organised by the Kitui County government at the Kitui Bus Park on Monday, October 1, 2018.
He and Kitui County Governor Charity Kaluki Ngilu were joined by Kitui Central District Commissioner Otieno Odidi in launching the MOU where during the ceremony a total of 50 people from the county including the aged were dispatched to the SEKU to be trained by the university on artisanal mining skills for two weeks.
And also the second batch of 150 local youths were dispatched to be trained on the garment making skills at the Trendy Technical and Vocational Training Centre (TTVTC) in Nakuru County for two months. And also a total of 100 county health workers were dispatched for training at the SEKU during the ceremony.
The first lot of 120 youths from the county has already benefitted with the two months garment making skills training from the TTVTC. “We really must empower the people of this county. We have the capacity to do that,” Muluvi said. “So we the SEKU are happy today that we are launching this programme with the governor.
We want to ensure the county and the governor that we are going to work together,” the university head said. The SEKU, formerly South Eastern University College (SEUCO), was set up from the Ukamba Agricultural Institute (UKAI), Muluvi said.
He had been accompanied by a team of his juniors including his deputy Professor Francis Wachira. In her speech, Ngilu highly thanked Muluvi and the SEKU for partnering with the Kitui County government towards developing the region.
This is extra-ordinary by the SEKU. This is unique by the SEKU. To me, this is the game changer. I thank Muluvi for accommodating the young people from our county and give them skills,” the governor said. Ngilu said that after the training of the 100 health workers from the county health institutions they (the trained) are going to do some good work “in our county’s health facilities.”
She announced that their August 2018 and the first batch for the garment making skills training had come back from Nakuru after having been successfully trained. And she added that they (the Kitui County government) are going to take some 2,000 young women and men for the garment making skills training at the TTVTC for the good of the county and its people. “We have already started making school uniforms for ourselves in the county.
No more money to go out of our county for school uniforms’ buying,” the governor said. “The first lot for the artisanal mining skills training from our county is 50.
We are going to dispatch some 1,000 more people for the training at the SEKU,” she further said. The governor announced that the county government has signed an MOU with the SEKU for them to be making the grass for the good of the local livestock farming. “We must do something that is different from what we have been doing,” Ngilu said.
She announced that her government is going to start constructing a total of 2,000 housing units in the county soon for the benefits of the locals. “We have funds for the development in our county. Don’t worry,” she said. The governor had been accompanied by her deputy Dr. Gideon Wathe Nzau, the County Secretary Alex Nzioka Kimanzi, the County Environment and Natural Resources Minister John Muneeni Makau, the County Chain Additions and Chain Values Advisor Dr. Temi Mutia, the County Ministries Chief Officers and the County Principal Geologist Bernard Limo among other county government officials who also addressed the function.
The function was also addressed by some Kitui County Assembly Members among others.
The end of the story.