By GOVERNOR MALOMBE
Im delighted to join you today during this auspicious occasion of the opening of the 3rd Kitui County Assembly. Please accept my warm congratulations on your much deserved victory – a victory that has now propelled you to a position of leadership at a time when the public expectation is high.
I also extend my congratulations to Special Elected Members, commonly referred to as “Nominated Members” for their nominations by their respective political parties to serve the people of Kitui.
From the very onset, Mr. Speaker and Members of the County Assembly, allow me to wish all the members good health and success as we jointly embark on our new responsibilities.
I look forward to a harmonious and productive working relationship between the County Executive and the County Assembly that will deliver development and prosperity to our people. Working together, we have the ability and capacity to unlock the unexploited huge potential of our great County.
Indeed, most of you in this Chamber have, just like me, walked this political journey to get to where we are today. The Kitui electorate have trusted us with leadership and are looking upon us to plan and implement development projects that address their desires, hopes and aspirations.
I am particularly thrilled by the composition of the County Assembly, where we have a mixture of both youthful and older and experienced members, some of whom have served this Assembly and the people of Kitui in the past, and earned the confidence of the electorate and have been voted to serve for another five years.
Even those who are in the youth age bracket of 18-35 years are also bringing their valued individual leadership experiences including as student and community leaders that will be beneficial in the discharge of the County Assembly’s and ward representative responsibilities.
CURRENT STATE OF THE COUNTY.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members – We all appreciate that the election is now behind us. Ahead of us now is the critical responsibility to reclaim our County’s lost glory. In the last five years, no tangible and visible development has been undertaken to meaningfully uplift our people’s livelihoods.
We have inherited a sad state of affairs. Hospitals had no drugs. Pending bills including legal liabilities had been allowed to accumulate to unsustainable levels.
Staff salaries are delayed, sometimes in excess of a month or beyond. Skewed and inequitable development where some county wards never had any meaningful projects undertaken for the last five years, including denial of graders and other machinery for road works, agricultural and water works.
Machinery, vehicles including ambulances, were not maintained as required. County roads got dilapidated owing to lack of maintenance. Street and security lights were vandalized in our major towns and market centres.
Market cleaners and community health volunteers were laid off without corresponding measures being undertaken for delivery of the services they were rendering.
The wage bill has exceeded the 35% legal requirement specified under the Public and Finance Management Act 2012. Corruption allegations have been publicly levelled against county staff, including the County Public Service Board thus diminishing the county’s credibility, image and bankability. Lack of genuine public participation on crucial issues such as initiation and management of county public entities.
Apparent misguided investments, coupled with poor and inept management for county entities such as the ballast crusher at Kwa Kilui in Yatta/Kwa Vonza ward, the Kitui County Textile Centre (KICOTEC), Kitui Food Industry (reportedly for making tomato paste, tomato sauce, kaluvu etc).
the Kitui Pharma Industry (launched supposedly to make sanitizers, antiseptics, hand washing soap, formalin, and methylated spirits, etc), Kitui Youth Industry in Manyenyoni (purportedly launched to produce cabros, interlocking bricks, culverts etc) and Livestock Transportation Trucks, among others.
Mr. Speaker, Ladies and Gentlemen
In a nutshell, we are inheriting a county that is in dire straits and whose public reputation and financial status is at an all-time low. As they say, the ball is right in our court as leaders.
We have to devise ways of addressing the inherent challenges and turn around the fortunes of our county and her people. I shall, in my Speech to this august House, suggest some of the strategies that we can adopt to salvage the situation and improve the functionality, standing and reliability of our county in providing an enabling and sustainable socio-economic environment and the delivery of basic services to our citizens.
These will include, but not limited to, accountable revenue generation, responsible planning, budgeting and expenditure, equitable development across the county, rationalization of casuals and contracted staff with a view to reducing the unsustainably huge wage bill, staff welfare and motivation through timely payment of salaries, allowances and remission of pensions.
NHIF, NSSF and other statutory deductions, recruitment of qualified and competent staff, training and capacity building, inculcating a culture of efficiency, integrity and zero-tolerance to corruption in service delivery, prompt and non-discriminative payment to suppliers and contractors.
pre-public investments viability assessments, strategic partnerships with the national government, development partners, private sector, non-governmental organizations (NGOs), civil society, academia, as well as structured and meaningful public participation.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The County Executive has reorganized the FY 2022/2023 budget approved by the previous County Assembly in order to accommodate new developmental priorities following the change of government and high post – election expectations of our people.
The County’s overall resource envelope stands at Kshs 12.379 Billion. This comprises Development budget amounting to Kshs 3.981 Billion (Which represents thirty two per cent –32% of the total resource envelope) and Recurrent Budget of Kshs 8.398 Billion (Which represents sixty eight percent – 68% of the total resource envelope).
Further, the recurrent budget contains Personnel Emoluments of Kshs 4.890 Billion (which represents forty per cent 40% of the total resource envelope) and Operations & Maintenance budget of Kshs 3.508 Billion (Which represents twenty eight per cent -28% of the total resource envelope).
In addition, the total revenue budget contains equitable shares amounting to Kshs 10.394 Billion, Grants totaling to Kshs. 467 Million, Own Source Revenue adding to Kshs 400 Million and a revote of Kshs 1.118 Billion (This is broken down into County Executive Revote of Ksh 973 Million and Kshs 144 Million for the County Assembly).
With respect to the status of the county Human Resources, Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, the County Government of Kitui has a workforce comprising 4,061 Permanent and pensionable staff and 1,839 casuals.
This excludes ECDE teachers, County Entities as well as County Assembly staff. The proportion of County Casuals to Permanent Staff stands at 45%. This proportion of casuals to permanent staff is relatively too high and unsustainable.
My administration has put in place measures to control the rising percentage of the casuals ‘vis a vis’ the permanent staff. Failure to do this will lead the County into a ballooning wage bill which will deplete the budgetary allocation for development.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The total number of Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) teachers is 2,401 and we are programming to place them on Permanent and Pensionable terms soon after Supplementary Budget I is approved by the County Assembly and the necessary human resource processes are completed.
Mr. Speaker Sir.
On the amounts paid as salaries commonly referred to as the wage bill – this currently stands at Kshs 4.890 Billion – which translates to forty per cent – 40% of the total county revenue of Kshs 12.379 Billion. Mr. Speaker, it is noteworthy the Public Finance Management (County Governments) Regulation, 25(1) (b), sets a limit of the county government’s expenditure on wages and benefits at thirty-five per cent – 35% of the county’s total revenue.
Hence, the high percentage of the wage bill eats into the proportion of the development budget and in the long run it will be unsustainable leading to non-compliance with Section 107(2) (b) of the Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2012.
The Public Finance Management (PFM) Act, 2012 provides that over the medium term, a minimum of thirty per cent – 30% of the County Government’s budget shall be spent on development programmes.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The county assets include land and offices, motor vehicles, plant and equipment, furniture and fittings, ICT equipment, computers and computer accessories, intangibles (software), heritage and cultural assets.
To mention but a few, Kitui County owns the following asset categories, which will later be submitted to the County Assembly in due course as required by Assumption of the Office of the Governor Act, 2019.
On Land and Offices, the County Government of Kitui owns a total land size of 21,961 Hectares occupied by offices, markets, vocational training centres, water parcels, agricultural parcels, ranches, stadia and playgrounds.
The largest parcels of this total Hectares is Kanyonyoo Yatta B2 which has 9,351.88 Hectares and Katoteni with 12,221.5 Hectares. Further, Mwingi Leasehold has 4,812 Plots and Kitui Leasehold 17,378 Plots.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
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The Public land in Manyenyoni in Kitui Township ward was placed under a caveat by the former Kitui Municipal Council sometime in 2009 due to unprocedural and massive double allocations.
The caveat that no development should continue other than government offices still stands. However, the land has been encroached by the initial allottee who were allocated parcels by the defunct County Council of Kitui.
Details of the same were captured in Land Taskforce Report in 2014.
On Motor Vehicles, the County owns a total of 140 vehicles and 233 motorcycles. Out of the 140 vehicles, only 76 are operational. Of the 233 motor cycles, 127 are functional while 106 are grounded.
Concerning Agricultural Machinery, the County has 41 Farm Tractors, 1 Low loader, 3 Excavators, 1 Wheel Loader, 1 Cat Crawler, 2 Tippers, 2 Backhoe Loaders 40 Disk Ploughs, 11 CMC Trailers, 5 Planters and 4 Disc Harrows.
On Roads Machinery, the county owns 1 Bull Dozer, 9 Graders, 2 backhoes, 1 Single Roller Vibrator, 1 Wheel Loader and 4 Tippers for purposes of road construction.
Water Equipment comprises 2 drilling rig sets, while Livestock Trucks are 5 in total.
Mr. Speaker, I intent to constitute a Team to rationalize the status of machinery in the county, to assess and recommend those that can be repaired for use and the obsolete to be disposed in line with the Public Procurement and Assets Disposal Act, 2015.
On Health, the County owns 46 ambulances where only 22 are functional. In addition, there are 3 Mobile Clinic Trucks and 37 Utility Vehicles, of which only 12 are operational. The County has a total of 306 Health facilities, of which 14 are Level IV Hospitals, 56 are health centres and 236 are dispensaries.
We have 48 Vocational Training Centres/Village Polytechnics.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
Currently, the County does not have any existing loans and/or overdrafts. However, the County has pending bills amounting to Kshs 2.445 Billion. Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, this amount has been budgeted for in the Supplementary Budget (I) that we will be submitting to the County Assembly soon.
These pending bills shall form the first charge of the County budget FY 2022/2023 as stipulated under Regulation 41 of the PFMA, 2015 (Counties). Details of the said pending bills have been captured in the Assumption of the Office of the Governor Committee Report that will also be submitted to the County Assembly by the Chairman of the Committee.
Besides the pending bills mentioned above, the county has Legal Liabilities amounting to Kshs.448.952M being court and arbitration awards made in favor of various parties.
Mr. Speaker, there is an additional Contingent Liabilities amounting to Kshs.275.898M consisting mainly of unremitted KRA taxes and interests. Details have also been captured in the Assumption of the Office of the Governor Committee Report.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
Based on the above factors, the County Executive has prepared and will be submitting FY 2022/2023 Supplementary Budget I, with key focus on settlement of pending bills, initiating completion of abandoned and stalled projects as part of the first 100-days interventions as outlined in my Inaugural Speech.
To address the upsurge of pending bills due to unrealized own source revenue, the County Executive has revised approved projected own-source revenue for the current financial year, FY 2022/2023 from Kshs 600 Million to Kshs 400 Million based on the actual average county revenue collection for the last 5 years.
PROPOSED 5-YEAR TRANSFORMATION AGENDA 2022-2027.
Having said all that, Hon. Members, now allow me to quickly run you through my 100-days interventions and my 16-Sector priorities in my Manifesto.
My administration has prioritized key developmental initiatives in the next 100 days which are a necessary and essential dose in the revival of our economy and the rekindling of our hopes and aspirations. These include:
A County Stock taking/mapping exercise:
This exercise is intended to facilitate an in-depth and clear appreciation of the county financial status including bank balances, human resource status including outstanding staff salaries, inventory of county asset and pending bills and other contractual commitments, review and ascertainment of the report of the Assumption of Office of Governor as per committee report.
Completion of abandoned projects: We will prioritize and complete abandoned projects, including but not limited to the following:
Kangu Kangu Water Project was to benefit over 100,000 people in Kitui South.
Incomplete ECDE classrooms such as at Ciokereke in Tseikuru Ward as well others in other wards, whose completion was ignored by the outgoing administration.
Outpatient hospitals facilities in various sub-counties like Mutomo, Zombe etc..Grading and culverting of neglected county access roads including the rehabilitation of farm and road construction machinery
Leveling of schools’ playing fields
Operationalization and equipping maternity hospitals in various sub counties.
Incomplete Ward Administrator’s offices in various wards.
Completion of semi-finished drifts that require completion and/or major repairs.
Construction progression of Kitui Teaching and Referral Hospital and Kitui Resource Centre at Manyenyoni.
Completion of county infrastructural works in support of the Mwingi South Eastern Kenya University (SEKU) campus at Kanzoka in Kivou Ward, Mwingi Central.
Completion of Stalled Workshop and Pit Latrines at Syou Vocational Training Centre; Ikisaya Village, Endau/Malalani Ward.
Initiate the process for the completion of a stalled ICT workshop at Mutonguni Vocational Training Centre (VTC).
The formulation of a County Development Integrated Plan (2022-2027)-through a consultative public participation approach. The plan will provide an overall framework for development and be the basis for sub-plans and policies that will inform the 16-sector priorities outlined in our Vision and Agenda for The Development and Transformation of Kitui County.
Healthcare: Ensuring hospitals are stocked with necessary drugs and other non-pharmaceutical materials to ensure people across the county access much needed health care services.
Food security: Identify the areas where there is serious need for food assistance and convene a stakeholders’ meeting that includes the National Drought Management Authority (NDMA), the World Food Programme, NGOs, and well-wishers to ensure that the ongoing drought and starvation are addressed and no lives are lost.
Provision of seeds to farmers in needy areas in preparation for the October/November short rains.
Water security: Identify where there is water scarcity and to immediately institute remedial short-term measures as we work towards medium term and long term interventions.
County Employees: Ensuring that outstanding salaries and arrears of County Government employees are fully paid and that staff salaries are paid not later than 30th of every month as was the case during my initial 2013-2017 tenure in office. I am happy to announce that this is already happening and the staff morale is picking up.
Constitution of a technical review team to look into pending bills and establish modalities for payment of the same.
Constitution of my Government: I will prioritize the constitution of my government and administration including deployment of manpower for effective service delivery as may be deemed necessary.
The process will be consultative, per the rule of law, and in line with the principles of efficiency, effectiveness, transparency, equity, fairness and inclusivity particularly for minorities and marginalized communities.
Pending court cases:
My administration will establish the financial and other implications of determined and undetermined court cases affecting the county government and develop effective modalities of addressing the same.
ECDE Teachers: Placing our EDCE teachers in the scheme of service for ECDE and transiting them to permanent and pensionable terms (P&P). Reinstatement of Community Health Volunteers: Budgeting for their service consideration including working towards their conversion from Community Health Volunteers (CHVs) to Community Health Workers (CHWs) for better actualization of Universal Health Care (UHC).
Cash for Work / Kazi Kwa Vijana: Initiate the once vibrant ‘Cash-for-Work’ (also known as Kazi kwa Vijana) that will involve all active age groups as a way of addressing unemployment, money circulation and stimulation of the otherwise dormant rural and urban economies across the entire Kitui County.
Reinstatement of cleaners in Towns and Market Centres: Cleaners in county towns and market centers that were sacked by the outgoing regime will be reinstated and the number will be increased to cater for new markets.
Rehabilitation of Streets and Security Lighting: Systematic rehabilitation of street lighting and security lighting including Mulika Mwizi in our principal and medium-level towns, as well as in our market centers.
Dumpsites and Slaughter Houses’ Siting and Relocation:
Initiate a participatory and consultative framework on the:
Sighting and relocation of dumpsites in our towns, Siting and relocation of county slaughter houses located in major towns. Provision of decent working environment for hawkers and pavement traders:
Consultative framework to initiate a participatory and consultative dialogue framework aimed at the provision of decent working environments and structures for the protection of hawkers and pavement street vendors from vagaries of weather, such as rainfall and scorching sun.
This will be achieved without their displacement and adverse compromising of the livelihoods of operators in this sector.
Recovery of MSMEs taxation grace period:
To allow micro and small businesses to recover from the adverse business effects occasioned by Covid-19 pandemic and the 2022 August post-election economic slowdown:
Kitui County levies and fees will be waived for six months for traders and businesses falling under this category. The impact of the loss of revenue to the county government arising from this measure is more than outweighed by the employment and multiplier economic effects accruing to the broader county economy. Initiate the process of land adjudication, survey and titling at Mwakini Settlement Scheme.
Initiate the process for acquisition of land, planning, design and construction of the Nzamba Kitonga Memorial Hospital in Mutito/Kaliku
Initiate construction of Modern market shed – Katothya Market
Initiate construction of a polytechnic at Katothya Market Tarmacking of 1.2 kilometres of Kitui Showground access road, including exit section adjoining the main road from the Showground.
Acquisition of land outside Kitui Town to relocate slaughter house
Initiate Thitani Dispensary Electrification and installation of two coolers at the Morgue
Initiate the process for land acquisition and development of stadia at Kyoani in Kitui South and Kivou/Waita in Mwingi Central.
Initiate the construction of market sheds, public toilets and solar lighting at Katothya Market.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
Some of the key programmes captured in the Supplementary Budget I that will address high post-election expectations include:
Community Level Infrastructure Development Programme (CLIDP): Kshs.400M (Kshs.10M per Ward plus 3% – 12.3M Admin Cost)
- Pro-Poor Support Programme – Kshs.120M; (72% – Kshs.86.4M bursaries, 25% – Kshs.30M infrastructure, 3% – Kshs.3.6M admin. cost)
- County Assembly Car Loan and Mortgage Scheme – Kshs.235M; (Revote Kshs.144M; Kshs.91M in the County Assembly Car Loan and Mortgage Fund Account).
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
I wish to bring to your attention that Kitui County Assembly Car Loans and Mortgage Scheme Fund was allocated Kshs 140 Million in FY 2013/2014. Further, the County Treasury has considered a revote to County Assembly amounting to Kshs.144 Million from unspent budgets for the concluded FY 2021/2022 as per County Allocation on Revenue Act, 2021 Section 11.
The revote of Kshs.144 million, plus County Assembly’s car loans and mortgage fund account balances of KSh.91 Million should be sufficient to cater for the Members car loans and mortgages.
It is worth noting that due to the financial constraints, the county executive will not be able to provide for car loans and mortgages for its staff in this financial year 2022/2023 but it will endeavor to provide the same in FY 2023/2024 and in subsequent financial years.
- County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) 2023 -2027 – The plan will provide an overall framework for development and be the basis for sub-plans and policies that will inform the 16 sector priorities outlined in our Vision and Agenda for The Development and Transformation of Kitui County. This will be achieved through a consultative public participation approach.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The people of Kitui elected us into office based on the Manifestos and the promises we shared with them during the electioneering period. Realization of the promises made requires careful constitution and re-organization of government.
In this regard, I have decided on the structure of my government that I believe shall serve us satisfactorily in the fulfillment of the said promises. I will later in my Speech give highlights of the ministerial portfolios and departments that I have settled on.
At this juncture, Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members, allow me to outline key sectors for the actualization of our developmental vision. Choice of the priority sectors took cognizance of the functions assigned to County governments by the Constitution of Kenya, 2010 and our 2022 – 2027 Manifesto.
In crafting the Manifesto, we took account of the expressed developmental desires of our people across the entire County. They for example indicated to us their desire for a functional and accessible health sector manned by courteous staff and with availability of drugs.
They also indicated their desire to have a vibrant and robust public health system with promotive and preventive health services that are provided by trained community health workers.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The people also indicated their desire to have clean and safe drinking water for domestic purposes and sufficient water for their livestock. They underscored the need for food security and nutrition for their families.
They also indicated their desire for a well-functioning basic education sector, including ECDE, village polytechnics, vocational centres with adequate classrooms, teaching materials for learners, as well as the timely payment of teachers’ salaries and improvement of their terms of service.
They wanted paved roads and dustless towns and market centres, street and security lighting, market sheds, public toilets in market centres and boda boda sheds.
They expressed their desire for support to micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), including facilitation to access finance and markets, moderate taxation and conducive business environments that are clean and offer protection from extreme hot and rainy weather conditions.
The people also indicated their desire for opening and maintenance of access roads, drifts, culverts, storm drains, etc.
Mr. Speaker, in a nutshell, it is these desires expressed by our people, to me as Governor, Deputy Governor and Members of County Assembly that have inspired the County Development Priorities outlined in the following 16-Sector Agenda:
1. Agriculture: We intend to roll out a robust programme on agricultural extension services to the grassroots.
We are going to have two well-maintained and managed farm tractors for each ward. Regular training of farmers on modern farming and agribusiness and establishment of viable livestock trade centers in each ward.
- Water Provision: Cognizant of the fact that our county is water insecure and is among the counties being ravaged by severe drought and famine, my administration is keen to alleviate this problem. Towards this, we are going to put up one mega dam in each sub county, two large dams in each ward, one medium dam in each village and Boreholes in strategic points in each ward/Village.
We also plan to construct 60 sand dams in every ward, that means 2,400 sand dams across the entire county. These interventions are going to address the biting water problem in our county. Consequently, when all this is achieved, we are going to have enough water for domestic use, livestock and even for small scale irrigation at household level.
- Health: – To ensure that our people access quality healthcare, we intend to establish a teaching and referral hospital in Kitui town and Mwingi Town.
Towards this endeavor also we shall establish Level (iv) hospitals in each sub county, Level (iii) hospitals in each ward, Level (ii) hospitals in each village and modern maternity in each level (ii) and (iii) hospitals. Likewise, there will be an ambulance in every ward
- Education: We plan to construct modern ECDE classrooms in every public primary school. This will afford our children a conducive learning environment during their formative stages.
My administration will also collaborate with the national government to improve primary and secondary schools’ infrastructure and to install WI-FI in every youth polytechnic.
- Urban Development: Re-installation and maintenance of street lights in urban centers; Installation of solar security lights in each ward headquarters, small and upcoming trading centers, Establishment of refuse collection and re-cycling centers and improving water and sanitation services in each sub-county headquarter and municipalities (solid waste management, water connectivity.)
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Roads and Construction:
We plan to tarmac and grade prioritized county roads and the main streets in ward headquarters and key towns. Key among these is the tarmacking of Kitui Town- Museve- Miambani –Ndithini- Kiviu-Kamandio- Ikoo -Mwanzilu-Nzeluni- Mumbuni- Kalisasi to Mwingi town road; -
Trade and Investments: Operationalization and marketing of the county’s six Economic and Investment Zones (EIZs), Organize one Investor Conference within the first 18 months, Reinstate and organize an agricultural and trade fair every year, ensuring safe and environmental friendly operations at the crusher; establishing annual livestock auction markets in each sub county and Construction of a storage facility in each modern market.
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Micro Small and Medium Enterprises:
Installation and maintenance of infrastructure to facilitate 24 hour economic activities (e.g access roads, water and sanitation facilities, street lighting, enhance security.
merchandise storage facilities, well lit merchandise loading and offloading bays, convenient boda boda, taxi and vehicle parking facilities, etc);
Facilitation and support in the acquisition of modern working equipment (e.g fabricated kiosks, computerized wheel alignment, hair dressing machines, shavers, carpentry and masonry tools, concrete mixers) and Capacity building on entrepreneurial and business skills (innovation, production, marketing, packaging, branding, distribution, human resource and financial management, Information Communication Technologies, customer relations etc)
9. Cooperative Societies: Facilitate registration of cooperatives per sector (honey producers, tailoring and garment making, hide and skins, charcoal producers etc.);
Training and strengthening of cooperative societies through enforcing self-regulations in the internal operations, administrative guidelines and application of information technology (internal audits and automation of the operations) and Support for and revival of dormant cooperatives through partnerships and capacity building in management, access to finance, production and marketing (honey processing, fruit processing etc.)
- Tourism and Hospitality: Refinement and marketing of a robust and sustainable tourism circuit connecting Kitui county with coastal region and Mount Kenya region; Protection, conservation and erection of entry gates for the South Kitui Game Reserve, Mwingi North game Reserve and the Mutomo Reptile Park and Provide incentives for private sector investors/businesses in the entire hotel and hospitality value chain (through moderate taxation, licensing fees, land rates)
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Women, Youth and Persons with Disabilities: Scouting and nurturing of local talents in various fields (athletics, football, acting, music, modeling, drawing and painting among others);
Support and facilitate at least one self-help group in each sub-county in the formation of cooperatives in key economic sectors including: boda boda, taxi/probox, tailoring, livestock trading, weaving, fruit farmers, poultry farmers, food vendors, hire of events tents, chairs, tables, public address system, bee keepers and honey processors, vegetable vendors, salonists, hawkers, car wash, shoe shiners, mechanics, hotels and restaurants, bar owners, social welfare association.
PLWD Support of Persons Living with Disabilities (PWDs) to register with the National Council for Persons with Disabilities (NCPWD) and with the National Treasury to enable their 5% Access to Government Procurement Opportunities (AGPO) and Reservation of 30% of the County’s budgeted annual procurement opportunities for AGPO women, youth and PWDs. Consideration of youth – both men and women – for county senior level and other employment opportunities.
Participation of all youth, women and people living with disabilities in public participation forums.
12. Boda Boda Sector: Establishment of division within the ministry responsible for transport headed and staffed by officers who appreciate the sector and are passionate in the promotion, empowerment and development of the persons operating within the sector.
- Environment: Tree planting in county schools, river banks and county forests; Supporting planting at least 5 trees in each homestead; Training and sensitization on environmental conservation in collaboration with other stakeholders; Implement sustainable charcoal management policy; Sustainable sand harvesting management policy; Formulate and implement a sustainable mineral management policy.
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Energy: Enhance household electricity connection in collaboration with REA, Provision of solar power to off-grid social facilities (schools, hospitals and youth polytechnics), community solar access in partnership with private sector and NGOs, Support community access to green energy (Biogas, Solar, Wind) in partnership with National government, private sector, NGOs, CBOs and Faith Based Organizations.
- Information and Communications: Installation of mobile telephony masts in underserved areas of the county in collaboration with mobile service providers;
Installation of boosters and modern technologies for improved network coverage and Facilitate access to fiber optic infrastructure and use of digital technology in government offices and private sector entities within Kitui, Mwingi, Kwa-Vonza and other key county urban centers.
- Security: Security and street lighting in the county’s towns, market centers and public facilities including hospitals, village polytechnics, administration offices, day care centers , Collaboration with the national government in security enhancement within the location/villages, divisions/ wards, sub-counties and in border areas susceptible along the county borders, Operationalization of the County Policing Authority in partnership with the National Government and Installation of CCTV monitors in the county’s two municipalities of Kitui and Mwingi in partnership with private sector/business.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members
The actualization of the development envisaged under the above sectors will require the County Executive and the County Assembly to work together in the formulation of relevant sectoral policies and enactment of related legislations and regulations.
The County Executive has, in this respect, prioritized formulation of thirty-one (31) sectoral policies, the drafting of eleven (11) bills, including one (1) Regulation, which we intend to submit to the County Assembly for consideration in the next five years. These will be shared with the County Assembly as soon as each of the policies and legislations are refined.
CONSTITUTION AND RE-ORGANIZATION OF GOVERNMENT.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Member
In order for us to actualize the outlined development agenda, we need to constitute a government which is aligned to the 16 identified sectors and recruits of qualified and competent men and women.
Our work and execution of our mandate will also be guided by certain values and guiding principles. These guiding principles will include:
Efficient service delivery and an enabling socio-economic environment;
Motivated, qualified, and competent staff; Capacity building, staff welfare including timely payment of salaries;
Accountable revenue generation and responsible budgeting;
Equitable development across the county;
Courtesy, respect, and fairness to the people of Kitui;
Respect to the rule of law and non-tolerance to corruption;
Prompt and non-discriminatory payment to suppliers and contractors; and Affirmative action for Persons with Disabilities, minorities, youth and women and older persons.
These principles should be embraced by all of us – including the County Executive, the County Assembly, the County Public Service Board, County entities/Corporations.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
As indicated earlier, I have decided to structure my government in a manner that resonates with both our county mission and vision.
Mr. Speaker, as a reminder, our mission is ‘to provide effective services and an enabling environment for inclusive and sustainable socio-economic development and improved livelihoods for all’ whilst our county vision is ‘to be a prosperous county with vibrant rural and urban economies whose people enjoy a high quality of life’.
The structure is organized into 12 ministerial portfolios and departments, including portfolios to be performed under the Office of the Governor, the Deputy Governor and 10 County ministries as provided in the Constitution of Kenya 2010, as follows:
Office of the Governor
Public Service Management & General Administration
Governor’s Service Delivery Unit & Public Communication
Decentralized Units Service Delivery Coordination
Deputy Governor
Tourism, Hospitality & Game Reserves.
Performance Contracting, Disaster & Emergency Services
Health & Sanitation
a) Medical Services
b) Drugs and Medical Supplies Management
c) Public Health & Sanitation
- Education, Training & Skills Development
a) Basic Education, ECDE & Childcare Facilities
b) Polytechnics, Vocational Centres and Homecraft Centres -
Culture, Gender, Youth, ICT, Sports & Social Services
a) Culture, Gender & Social services
b) Youth, Sports, ICT and Innovation -
Trade, Industry, MSMEs, Innovation & Cooperatives
a) Trade, Industry, MSMEs & County EIZs
b) Cooperatives and Citizen Group Economic Empowerment Initiatives -
Roads, Public Works & Transport
a) Roads & Public Works
b) Transport and Boda Boda Sector -
Lands, Housing & Urban Development
a) Lands & Housing
b) Urban Development -
Agriculture & Livestock
a) Agriculture and Fisheries
b) Livestock Development and Apiculture -
Water & Irrigation
a) Water
b) Irrigation -
Energy, Environment, Forestry, Natural & Mineral Resources
a) Environment & Forestry
b) Energy, Minerals & Natural Resources -
Finance, Economic Planning & Revenue Management
a) Finance, Revenue Management and Accounting
b) Economic Planning & Budgeting
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
I am in the process of identifying for nomination and appointment of suitable persons that can serve our people diligently and effectively as County Ministers, once they are successfully vetted by the County Assembly.
For effective service delivery, each department will be headed by a Chief Officer. The posts for Chief Officers have been submitted to the County Public Service Board (CPSB) for advertisement and competitive recruitment of suitable persons.
The CPSB has advertised 16 of the portfolios last week and the remaining 10 will appear in the papers this week.
I will, in due course, submit the names to the Assembly for vetting approval. I trust the Assembly will consider the nominees objectively, ethically, fairly and justly. In the meantime, the County Assembly can utilize the county ministries and departments I have outlined in the formation of County Assembly committees.
CONCLUSION.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members
In conclusion, I wish to passionately appeal for unity, cooperation and consultation between the County Executive and the County Assembly in order for us to deliver on the mandate bestowed upon us by the people of Kitui.
Jointly, we should also ensure responsible planning, budgeting, implementation of development projects and programmes, as well as absorption of our budgeted development funds. We will be submitting the FY2022-2023 Supplementary Budget 1 that re-organizes the Budget approved by the outgoing County Executive and County Assembly.
This has been done in order for the same to accord with our stated development priorities and the clearance of pending bills as a first charge to our budget as provided for under Regulation 41 of the Public Finance Management Act, 2012.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
The county risks non-approval of its budgetary requisitions by the Controller of Budget owing to the non-compliance with the requirement for budgeting and payment of pending bills, resulting in the stalling of county operations and non-payment of staff salaries.
I wish, therefore, to appeal to the County Assembly to consider and expedite the approval of the re-organized budget once it is submitted to the Assembly.
We will endeavor to set realistic own-revenue targets and automate the bulk of our revenue streams in order to maximize collections and to meet our set annual revenue targets in our budgets.
Mr. Speaker Sir, we should take the bold and inevitable step of rationalizing and substantially reducing the huge and unsustainable casual complement that has been introduced into the county payroll in the last 5 years effective from 2017, so as to release more funds for development. The Casuals – 1,839 (45%), permanent – 4,061. Proposed reduction to 5%.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
Our county must move away from the counterproductive practice of ignoring promotive and preventive health care. Undue emphasis and disproportionately high allocation of financial resources representing 88.7% of the county health budget have been directed to curative health care.
the detriment of public health services, which receives an allocation of mere 6.2%. Prioritization and adequate budgeting for promotive and preventive health care with an allocation of about 35% of the health ministry budget will help decongest health facilities and eventually reduce expenditure on curative health services, including acquisition of pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals.
In our Supplementary Budget 1, which we will be submitting to the County Assembly soon, we have therefore provided for the reinstatement and utilization of community health volunteers (CHVs) to enable the county to address this need in line with the overwhelming desire of our electorate.
Finally, Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
We have been entrusted by the people of this County to pull it out of the quagmire and hopelessness inflicted by the immediate past regime. Hence, we must unite. And we must work diligently to meet our peoples’ developmental needs, hopes and aspirations.
In doing so, we need to continuously consult, cooperate and stay focused on our agenda. Above all, we should always be on the guard and avoid allowing detractors harboring ulterior personal and even political motives to divide us and divert our attention to irrelevant issues, unnecessary conflicts, fights and squabbles. Allowing diversionary agendas to be thrust in our midst will only serve to undermine our mission to deliver development to our people.
Mr. Speaker and Honourable Members.
United, We Shall Triumph! Divided, We Shall All Fall and Inevitably, We Shall be Mercilessly Punished by the Electorate in 2027 – and the People Who We May Have Allowed to Mislead Us Into this Political Mess Will Be Nowhere to be Found!
God Bless You All
God Bless Kitui County
God Bless Kenya