State of the County Address.

7/21/2019 State of the County Address.

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ADDRESS BY H.E. WILLIAM KABOGO,

GOVERNOR, KIAMBU COUNTY

AT A SPECIAL SITTING OF THE KIAMBU COUNTY ASSEMBLY

JUNE 24

th

, 2015.

HON. DEPUTY GOVERNOR,

THE SPEAKER OF THE COUNTY ASSEMBLY,

THE CLERK TO THE COUNTY ASSEMBLY,

HONOURABLE MEMBERS OF THE COUNTY ASSEMBLY,

DISTINGUISHED GUESTS,

LADIES AND GENTLEMEN,

1. A little over a year ago, I stood before you to share with you the progress made in

the implementation of the County Government of Kiambus policies and plans,

share our success stories and highlight some of our challenges.

2.

With your continued support and unwavering commitment to the development of

Kiambu County, we have come a long way these last twelve months. Once again,

in line with my Constitutional duties and those outlined in Section 30 of the

County Governments Act, I am honoured to address this special sitting of the

Assembly and share our progress.

Mr. Speaker, Honourable Members:

3. Our vision for Kiambu County is no longer a vision. Each day these last several

months, we have worked to translate our goals and commitments enunciated in the

County Integrated Development Plan into a reality. Our Vision remains clear. But

today, it is more than just a vision. Its daily implementation is giving birth to


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Address By H.E. William Kabogo,

June 24th, 2015

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tangible developmental progress for our County and the lives of our People whom

we serve.

4.

We have been bold and bullish in our developmental agenda, and in the process,

have blazed the trail in several sectors, drawing glowing accolades across the

Board.

5.

Kiambu was recognized as the First County to go live on full revenue automation.

We won the first ICTAK award on best use of ICT in the County Government

Category. We have been declared the Best in adherence to Procurement laws by

PPOA. And the CRA has ranked us third in the Financial Year 2013/14 on fiscal

responsibility, budget absorption and prudent use and management of resources.

We look forward to being Number 1 in the Financial Year coming to a close next

week and to drawing more positive attention to ourselves.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members:

6.

This recognition has been the result of a concerted effort by my Government to

ensure that effective management and discipline become engrained as a way of life

for each person who serves in the County Government. With your oversight role

as the County Assembly, we have proven that it is indeed possible, in spite of any

actual or perceived differences, to work in unison for the greater good of this

County. I thank you for this Assemblys continued support in the implementation

of our development agenda.

7.

Article 10 of our Constitution binds all state organs and stage and public officers

to observe the national values and principles of governance. The rule of law is a

key principle of Governance. Every function of the County Government is

anchored under the law and the discharge of those functions is guided by set laws.


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The County Government set up a legal office to aid the County Government in

performing its functions under strict compliance with the law. Indeed, the

achievements by the departments outlined in this Address would not have been

realised without tremendous support from our executive legal team, which is

working closely with the legal team within this Assembly.

8.

With no legal officers inherited from the former eight local authorities on

devolution, the County Government now boasts a fully-fledged legal office housed

in the Department Public Service and Administration. The establishment of this

Office was preceded by the conduct of a full audit of all legal matters inherited

from the former local authorities, with a view to ascertaining our liabilities under

such matters and centralizing all legal functions for efficiency and expediency

purposes.

9.

The office is staffed with 4 qualified and competent Advocates of the High Court

and 2 legal assistants charged with the responsibility of dealing with all legal

matters affecting the County Government. The office now handles almost 80% of

all litigation and contractual drafting without engaging external counsel and this

has drastically reduced the costs attached to defending the County Government in

court, and thus releasing much needed funds for application towards other

development projects.

10.

Over the last year, 9 significant pieces of legislation have been passed by this

Assembly ranging from matters finance to health. 12 other Bills are under

development from the various departments and are either already before you, or

will be presently before you. Your joint efforts in the legislative drafting process

are laudable and I encourage this continued collaborative effort as we create the

necessary enabling environment for governance, transparency, and investment in

Kiambu County.


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11.

None of our collective efforts to give effect to our CIDP would be possible

without the allocation of sufficient resources to our development budget. Since

inception, we have been, and continue to be challenged by the issue of a huge

wage bill and related recurrent expenditure, a legacy from the former Local

Authorities.

12.

This Governments challenge has therefore been to adopt various measures to

ensure that we see an increase in service delivery to our People, improve the

quality of such service, increase Locally Generated Revenues within the

parameters outlined in Article 209 of our Constitution and balance our workforce

and payroll. In the end, we aim to reduce this County Governments reliance on

the National Government allocation.

13.

In order to achieve these objectives, this government has fully embraced

technology commencing with the implementation of an automated receipting

system and business intelligence system. We are now able to track all revenue

collection on a real time basis, consolidate the legacy system LAIFOMS from 8

former local authorities into one central system and thereby establish a single

trustworthy source of information for decision making.

14.

We have introduced a self-help portal for all the residents of Kiambu County

accessible on www.digitika.kiambu.go.ke where our residents can log in and

request for services from the county and be able to effect payments online. For the

convenience of our residents, we are supporting different modes of payment,

MPESA, Airtel money, Visa and MasterCard. Earlier this year, we introduced QR

Codes for licence verification to avoid fraud.
http://www.digitika.kiambu.go.ke/http://www.digitika.kiambu.go.ke/http://www.digitika.kiambu.go.ke/


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15.

In response to our Head of States call to coordinate more with national

institutions and leverage on existing structures, the Department of Finance also

solicited the support of the National Youth Service which deployment of 85

additional Revenue & Enforcement Officers. We thank this Assembly for its

timely approval of the engagement of these officers as their visible presence on the

ground complemented our internal automation efforts.

16.

Finally, the County Government will be issuing an initial 100,000 residents with

the Visa-Enabled Kiambu County Cards, which will be used for various fee

payments to the County Government and which can also be used on other

platforms such as matatu fare payment and online shopping amongst others.

17.

Our investment in these measures has not gone to waste. Revenue collection as at

May 2014 stood at Kes 1,1 Billion compared to Kes 2,1 billion in May 2015. We

expect to see an increase in the coming fiscal year, as our residents and workforce

get more accustomed to the digitization taking place within the County. Out of

the total internal revenue collection, a total of Kes. 456 Million has been used to

fund the development budget.

18.

It is my expectation that as the internally generated revenues increase, so will our

obligation to develop the necessary Infrastructure to meet the future growth of our

County. We will continue to entrench ourselves as innovative & efficient

Government, utilizing international best practices in revenue collection. As a

result of our successes, we have received tremendous support from international

agencies such as UN Habitat, who have assigned a consultant to work with us

through this process of enhancing local revenues and strengthening our financial

management systems.


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19.

In addition to the support we are receiving from UN Habitat, the County

Government is working closely with the ICT Authority and the World Bank Group

in finalizing our ICT Roadmap on how to better use technology to improve and

increase service delivery to our People. This will ensure that we continue to invest

in the appropriate technology which will serve as an enabler in efficient, cost-

effective and transparent internal operations and ensure that it we maintain global

best practices while integrating with national and neighbouring County ICT

infrastructure and systems, consisted with the philosophy of shared ICT services.

20.

Other commendable efforts of our Department of Finance include the

establishment of the County Budget and Economic Forum in line with the

provisions of the Public Finance Management Act. This body has provided the

public with opportunities to participate in how their County is governed, including

how public finances are managed to deliver services and foster development. It

has been a crucial tool and has served as the primary institution for facilitating

public participation. Its establishment has been an integral part of the

governments strategy to improving accountability and public participation at the

county level.

21.

With the establishment of the Emergency Fund in early 2014, the Department has

had to approve disbursements from the Fund to the tune of Kes 26.4 million spent

on emergency cases. A further Kshs.15.2 million was loaned to Department of

Health Services at the beginning of the financial year when the Hospitals were in

crisis due to delayed disbursements from the Controller of Budget.

22.

The Department has also eliminated all forms of manual payments and has fully

adopted the IFMIS System and e-procurement system, measures that will

minimize tampering and fraud usually endemic in procurement processes.


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23.

Finally, the Department has already embarked on the process of attaining ISO

9001:2008 for Quality Management systems. This certification is aimed at

ensuring continuous improvement of our processes and procedures.


24.

The business of service delivery is tough business. It calls for a rationalization of

our workforce on the one hand and an investment in their talent for improved

service delivery to our People. It requires us to rid ourselves of deadwood while

recognising that the livelihoods of many are in our hands as a government. The

roles of our County Public Service Board and the Department of Public Service &

Administration are therefore pivotal in managing this balance.

25.

In the last year, we have been able to fill various administrative positions in

accordance with the provisions of the County Governments Act. These include 10

County Chief Officers, the County Secretary, 12 Sub-County Administrators and

46 new Ward Administrators. Other departmental recruitments include 134 health

workers comprised of nursing officers, clinical officers, laboratory technicians,

nutritionists, radiographers, pharmacists, among others. In addition, the Board

ratified the appointment of 46 doctors who had been posted by the National

Government and these have been deployed in various health facilities across the

County.

26.

With infrastructure development being a cornerstone of our growth as a County,

we have recruited another 54 officers to fill various positions ranging from

superintendent of works, engineers, surveyors and various maintenance inspectors

for the Department of Transport & Infrastructure Development. The Department

of Land, Housing & Planning will also benefit from the ongoing recruitment of 58


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officers at Director level through to technical officers such as cartographers,

monitoring & enforcement officers, valuers, among others.

27.

With our special focus on performance management and quality service delivery,

the County Government has implemented a Performance Management System

with the support of the World Bank. The System is instrumental in monitoring

efficiency and effectiveness in the implementation of the various Departmental

activities and has proved to be a vital tool in ensuring optimum performance in the

delivery of services to our People.

28.

In our recruitment of personnel, the Board has endeavoured to adhere to the

Constitutional thresholds including the requirement that at least 30% of vacant

posts at entry level are filled by candidates who are not from the dominant ethnic

community in the County. While Kiambu County is a cosmopolitan County with a

projected population of 1.2 million by 2017, we still find that the majority of the

applications come from one dominant community. During the recruitment process

for Ward Administrators, for example, it was difficult to achieve the one-third

threshold, leading to the re-advertisement of 14 positions, primarily targeting non-

dominant communities within the County.

29.

We expect that with time, we shall be able to attract the right talent from across all

communities representing in the County, and I encourage Kenyans from all walks

of life to apply for the positions advertised by our Board.

30.

The Department of Public Administration and the Board are in the final stages of

approving all necessary Human Resource policies, our Service Charter and

Performance Contracts in line with national and international best practice.


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31.

Our County Executive Committee has also embraced ICT with the implementation

of the e-Cabinet solution in September 2014. This has enabled the Executive

Committee to hold online discussions with Members being able to submit agendas

online and vote for them. All Executive Committee papers for discussion prior to

the Executive Committee meetings and this enables all Members to participate in

the meetings even when they have travelled abroad. Needless to say, this

development has greatly increased efficiency in service delivery spearheaded by

the County Executive Committee.

32.

While Kenya was recently ranked the third fastest growing economy in the world,

behind China and the Philippines, the World Economic Forums Africa

Competitiveness Report, 2015 launched last month, identifies corruption as the

Number 1 impediment to doing business in Kenya. My County Government is

determined to promote a Corrupt Free environment. To this end, we have

established the County Anti-corruption Coordination Unit and a Departmental

Procurement Unit and it is my hope that effective measures will continue to be

implemented to rid ourselves of this negative image and promote Kiambu Countyas the place to do business in Kenya.

33.Finally, the Department of Public Administration has established a Task Force to

fast track the completion of our County Governments Headquarters in Kiambu

Sub-County with a view to permanently locating the head office to our gazette

headquarters. With completion of the works almost done, it is anticipated that the

shift will take place in the early part of this coming fiscal year.



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34.

Our investment in the early education of our children is an important element in

ensuring we develop the next generation of leaders. However, while the Board

shortlisted and interviewed over 2,000 teachers for our ECD centres, we continue

to be embroiled in the national saga around their recruitment and cannot finalise

this process with the current court order still in place. I however remain confident

that this protracted legal process will culminate in a favourable decision for the

County Governments, so we can proceed with our work of investing in our

childrens future.

35.

Finally, the County Government continues to labour under the legacy of historical

legal actions filed by employees of the former local authorities, and negotiations

are still underway for out of court settlements which we hope to conclude in the

near term.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members of this Assembly:

36.As the fastest urbanising County in the Republic of Kenya that has over 70% of its

population reliant on agriculture either directly or indirectly for their livelihoods, it

is imperative that the right balance be maintained to ensure sustainable

development of our County while remaining the breadbasket of our nation. Our

agricultural land sizes are diminishing to pave way for real estate developments in

an effort to deal with the increasing population pressure. Our people continue to

rely on rain-fed agriculture due to limitation of irrigation infrastructure and uptake

of modern technology and scientific farming methodologies in the agricultural

sector remains slow.

37.

Last year, I reported that my Government had undertaken a comprehensive review

of the strategy for the agricultural sector in order to come up with a new agenda

for this sector and the rural economy in general. I am pleased to announce that,

following these endeavours, the Department of Agriculture launched its Strategic


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Plan which is aligned to our CIDP and the National Vision 2030. The main output

areas of this plan are food security, wealth and employment creation.

38.

The Department of Agriculture, Livestock & Fisheries has in the last twelve

months placed great emphasis on the training of our farmers. The department has

constructed 60 green houses in all the sub-counties. These are used as

demonstration centres for farmers and through these centres, more than 1,500

farmers have been trained on agronomic practices of crop management. The

process of procuring 20 more greenhouses is now complete and these will be

constructed in several wards across the County.

39.

We have not stopped at the provision of training facilities. For ease of marketing,

all the green house groups were brought together to elect delegates and to form a

marketing cooperative the Kiambu Agri-business Marketing Society Limited

or KIAMA as it has popularly come to be known. The cooperative has been used

to market produce from the 60 green houses with the aim of using it for collective

marketing of horticultural produce of Kiambu farmers. The cooperative has

already been registered and has opened a bank account.

40.

My Office has negotiated with various retail chains including Nakumatt, Fruity

Fruits and Zucchini Groceries to enable our farmers produce is absorbed into

these outlets. While the group has managed to meet several orders, the main

challenge remain meeting the quantities required. The Department of Agriculture

is therefore working with the co-operative to strategise on how to bring in more

groups on board so that the quantities required by the retail outlets can be met.

However, I am pleased to report that several groups have already banked over Kes

100,000 through this initiative and we are honoured to be part of the process of

increasing the income levels of our People.


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41.

With the growing number of obesity and diabetes related health complications in

our society, the Department of Agriculture has embarked on a campaign to

reduce the consumption of sugar and replace this with sweeteners. To this end,

Stevia promotion and growing has been initiated in Kiambu County and Stevia

cuttings have been provided to 120 farmers from the upper highland areas of

Githunguri, Lari, Limuru, Gatundu North and Gatundu South.

42.

The County Government sponsored 20 farmers and 8 staff for a study tour on

stevia growing at Kericho and has executed a Memorandum of Understanding

with an offtaker - Pure Circle who will purchase all the stevia that our Kiambu

farmers will grow.

43.We had commenced the training of our farmers in tissue culture and banana

promotion in the last financial year. This year, to ensure technology

dissemination, farmers have been trained at the Kenya Agricultural and Livestock

Research Institute and Waruhiu Agricultural Training Centre. In support of the

technology, two banana hardening nurseries have been constructed and 10 more

are earmarked to ensure constant supply in all the sub-Counties. Training on

banana production and value addition have been conducted to about 1,000

farmers. Finally, a Banana collection centre will be constructed at Karuri market

where farmers will leverage on the benefits of collective bargaining.

44.

With Food Security being a priority across our continent, the Department of

Agriculture is collaborating with the national government in a food security

project and has supplied planting seed and fertilizer to farmers across the County.

Under this initiative, plans are underway to provide dairy goats and indigenous

chicken worth Kes 160 million to vulnerable families in arid and semi-arid areas

of Nachu and Ndeiya.


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45.

In order to address the challenges our farmers are facing in accessing government

subsidized farm inputs such as fertilizer, the Department of Agriculture has

entered into an agreement with National Cereals & Produce Board to facilitate the

opening of three fertilizer depots for farmers to access fertilizers easily. Though

the depots are run by officers from NCPB, the department facilitated refurbishing

the depots and equipped them with the necessary infrastructure including Internet

access, Computers and printers.

46.

In the year 2014, the Kiambu County produced 300 million litres of milk valued at

Kes 9 Billion. The County Government through the Department of Agriculture has

therefore already embarked on value addition measures to ensure dairy farmers

will be cooling and processing their own milk. This year Kes 63 million was set

aside for installation of 6 bulk milk coolers of 2,000 litres, two bulk milk coolers

of 5,000 litres and one Pasteurizer of 500 litres per hour capacity.

47.On Aquaculture, the County Government has finalised the construction of 4 fish

ponds per sub-County and procurement of fish liners and fingerlings completed

ready for our various farmer groups that have already undergone training in this

sector.

48.

While most of us consider rabbits to be childrens pets, there is a recent steady

growth of rabbit consumption in the County. For this reason, the Department has

trained over 3,000 farmers in rabbit production and processing to meet the

increasing demand of local supermarkets and restaurants.

49.

The National Governments Ministry of Industrialisation & Enterprise

Development has identified hides, skins & leather development as one of the key

investment areas for our country. Kenya currently earns approximately Kes 9

Billion from this sector, mostly in unfinished wet blue leather. However, Kiambu


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County farmers earned about only Kes 230 million from this sector. Recognising

that finished leather goods account for about 6% of leather exports in Kenya, the

Department of Agriculture is advocating for a revitalization of the cottage

industries as a step towards the promotion of job creation in this sector.

50.We have, therefore, invested in the training of 200 cobblers at the Training and

Production Centre for Shoe Industry based in Thika and the Kenya Industrial

Research Development Institute in Nairobi. The trained youths will serve as

contact persons in our sub-counties for our other youths and dealers in leather

activities promotion in Kiambu County.

51.

As irrigation provides a powerful management tool against the vagaries of rainfall,

the County Government has completed three irrigation projects in Mangu Ward,

Gatuanyaga Ward and Nyanduma Ward with five more currently ongoing in other

wards and several more planned in the upcoming financial year.


52.

I now move on to the state of Transport & Infrastructure Development in our

County.

53.

Our Department of Roads, Transport & Public Works continues to work under its

guiding principal of building top quality roads at the minimum possible cost in an

effort to reduce the distance between people, markets and health services across

the County.

54.

The Department has remained active in the construction of new roads as well as

conduct of routine maintenance of rural roads across the County. Key highlights


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include the 15 Kilometer Ndumberi-Githunguri Road whose works are still

ongoing with about 8.5 Kilometers of the carriage way being completed to date.

55.

Works are also scheduled to commence under a recently awarded Kes 221 million

roadworks contract for the conversion of the existing single carriageway on the

Kenyatta Highway and roundabout into a dual carriageway upgraded to bitumen

standards. Drainage works, street lighting and beautification also form part of this

upgrade.

56.

Over 114 contracts were targeted for rural access roads across the County, several

of which are completed and many of which are currently ongoing. A total of 33

Km have been completed by external contractors and works are currently ongoing

on another 103 Km across the County. In order to reduce costs, the County

Government is also undertaking roadworks in-house from materials sourced

locally within the County from quarries, Ruiru Sewerage works and various other

sites. To date, another 89 kilometers or rural access roads have been constructed

across 10 sub-counties in this financial year.

57.

The Department is also working closely with the World Bank funded Nairobi

Metropolitan Services Improvement Project and works are currently ongoing on

new roads in Kikuyu, Ruiru and Limuru Sub-Counties.

58.

Construction of non-motorised transport and pedestrian paths is also underway

covering Garissa Road, Kenyatta Highway, Haile Selassie Road and General Kago

Road. Works are also scheduled to commence in Kikuyu, Ruiru and Limuru

towns.


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59.

The Department had targeted the construction of three bus parks. Construction

has commenced at the Githurai Bus Park while the designs for Kiambu and Juja

Bus Parks are ready and procurement for construction scheduled to commence

early in the next financial year.

60.The Energy Directorate also falls within the Department of Roads, Transport and

Public Works. To this end, the Department is working closely with the World

Bank in the installation of 275 street lights using 80Watt energy saving LED

across seven urban centres in the County. In addition, 11 High Masts of 30 meters

and 64 High Masts of 30 meters are also being installed using 200 Watt LED. It is

expected that this installations will reduce the power bills by about 50%.

61.The strategic location of the high masts in shopping centres, market centres,

hospitals, schools, informal settlements and police stations is aimed at increasing

security across the County. The Department also continues to maintain and repair

the existing 139 High Masts and 3,300 street lights across the county to ensure

improved lighting for, and enhanced safety of our residents. The Department

however faces the challenge of proper equipment and have budgeted for a man-lift

to fast track repairs of the street lights and high masts in the coming financial year.

62.

In collaboration with the Rural Electrification Authority, the Department has

finalised the identification of all primary schools not connected to the national grid

which should be connected within the next financial year. While rural

electrification is now a devolved function, this joint exercise is meant to ensure

that the national governments target of electrifying all primary schools in the

Country is indeed realized. As noted by our Head of State in his State of the

Nation Address earlier this year, more primary schools have been connected to the

national electricity grid in the last two years than been since independence.


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63.

Last year, I reported that the process of developing the 10-year County Spatial

Plan had commenced. I am pleased to report that this exercise is now complete

and serves as a framework for providing the County with spatial planning

instruments in accordance with the provisions of the County Governments Act.

This exercise is aimed at strengthening the capacity for effective coordination of

all property development within the County.

64.

The Department embarked on an audit of poorly developed buildings in selected

areas of the County. Given the complex nature of the exercise and the historical

ad hocdevelopment that had been ongoing, the Department increased the number

of staff including development control officers. It has also procured GPS hand

held devices which shall be used for purposes of expanding the scope of the audit

as well as fast track other survey activities.

65.The Department has also embarked on data capture of all the land use activities in

the County. The pilot project for this exercise is currently underway in Thika

Town with the assistance of planning students engaged as interns from the Kenya

Polytechnic University.

66.

A major achievement of this Department is the clearance of all the back log of the

building applications that have delayed construction in the County. One significant

intervention has been the approval of all minor applications comprising of

Bungalows and Maissonettes at the Sub- county level within 14 days.

Comprehensive and major applications shall continue to be processed through the

main pre-technical committee which has adopted new stream-lined pre-approval

procedures for development applications. The Planning Technical Committee

holds sessions every month to deliberate and approve submitted applications to


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ensure that we do not have future back-log problems with our planning approval

processes.

67.

The Department is also collaborating with the World Bank funded Kenya Informal

Settlements Improvement Programme, through which two informal settlements -

Gachagi in Thika Town and Shauri Yako in Kiambu have been identified for

various infrastructure upgrades including roadworks and street lighting. We are in

discussions with the Programme coordinators to so that the scope of Gachagi shall

also encompass Umoja area since these seem to be seamless on the ground. The

Department has also received a double-cabin pick-up from the national Ministry of

Lands, Housing & Urban Development to facilitate their work in this programme.

68.Finally, the Department is working closely with UN Habitat to develop a more

robust Housing Policy and urban renewal models as well as regularize old

developments that were not compliant with planning regulations. As a key source

of internal revenue, the streamlining of our land-based revenue sources and

processes remains a high priority for this Department and we anticipate continued

support from UN Habitat on this end.


69.

My Government has prioritized environmentally sustainable urban development

for our People as access to water and sanitation is a fundamental human right and

essential to life, health and dignity. As the County continues to experience rapid

urbanization, timely and adequate provision of clean water and sanitation services

to uprooted people is particularly important, given the vulnerability of their

situation. The Department of Environment, Water & Natural Resources has

therefore embarked on various initiatives to improve access to water and sanitation

amongst the residents of Kiambu.


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70.We recently completed the construction of an elevated 100 cubic meter water tank

in Tinganga ward and the distribution of pipe work is on-going. Work has also

commenced on the Gitiha water project in Githiga Ward and the project is

awaiting connection of electricity by KPLC.

71.The Juja Salama borehole that required the removal of a burnt motor from the

borehole and re-equipping with a new motor is now operational and over 200

families have access to water from this source. Other initiatives include the

rehabilitation of the Lussigetti community borehole in Nachu Ward and the

rehabilitation of the Mwiki borehole, both of which are now fully operational.

72.In Thogoto, the improvement and rehabilitation of three water tanks, construction

of one water tank and a water kiosk was funded through the Water Services Trust

Fund. Today, more than 3,000 residents are benefiting from improved waterservices. The Fund has also financed the Gachie Water Project in Kiambaa with

more than 5,000 residents benefiting from this water project.

73.

Works are also currently ongoing at the Ondiri Water Project, which, once

complete, will serve Gikambura and Karai areas, supplying more than 5,000

residents with safe adequate water.

74.

In collaboration with the World Bank and Athi Water Services Board, works are

still ongoing at the Ruiru Sewerage Plant with the trunk main sewers, aerobic


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ponds and reticulation systems almost complete. Another 70,000 households are

expected to benefit from this project.

75.

With regards to public sanitation and garbage control, the County recognizes that,

with only five registered dumpsites, there is a huge problem in waste management.

Several initiatives have therefore been implemented including the development of

a Semi-Aerobic Landfill in Thika. The Kiambu Dumpsite Rehabilitation is

complete and others are presently under rehabilitation and garbage trucks stationed

at Gatundu South and Ruiru Sub-Counties have also been rehabilitated to

facilitated garbage collection.

76.

The Department has constructed several sanitation blocks in Githunguri, Uthiru,

Kangangi Market, Githurai Market and Limuru Market sanitation block is

complete.

77.It is expected that the coming financial year will see the introduction of a specific

budgetary vote for environment management, increased citizen participation in

solid waste management as we finalise the establishment of the Solid Waste

Management Authority that will also provide a framework for managing value

addition to give garbage economic value and create employment amongst our

youth. Across the globe, garbage is increasingly being viewed as a valuable

source of income, and it is my Governments hope that we can tap into this

resource in the coming year.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members of this Assembly:

78.

Closely linked to matters of water and sanitation, is the issue of the health of our

People. A healthy nation is a wealthy nation. The same is true of our County.


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79.

In spite of our rapidly urbanizing status, the County of Kiambu remains largely

rural with the bulk of our residents facing a unique combination of factors that

create disparities in health care not found in urban areas. Economic factors,

cultural and social differences, educational shortcomings, and the sheer isolation

of living in remote rural areas, all conspire to impede access to quality healthcare

amongst these residents.

80.

With these challenges in mind, the Department of Health Services has in this

financial year, embarked on an aggressive process of rehabilitating health facilities

across the County. We have renovated over 14 health centres, dispensaries and

sub-district hospitals and several others have contractors about to take possession

of the sites for commencement of rehabilitative works.

81.

Another 18 facilities have been targeted for expansion in various wards and we

expect to collaborate with the private sector and the donor community, to ensure

the rapid roll out of these health facilities.

82.

In order to ensure rapid response of our health workers to provide emergency

services to our ailing citizens, 9 new ambulances were procured and a further four

have undergone refurbishment and been allocated to Kigumo, Ndieya, Lusigetti

and Kihara facilities.

83.

With the expansion of the new wing at the Thika Level 5, we expect that we shall

have a state of the art Maternity and Neo-natal ward completed within the next 24

months.

Mr Speaker and Honourable Members:


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84.

Our children have a special place in the future of this great County. It is for this

reason that the Department of Education, Culture & Social Services has placed

great emphasis on investing in the improved quality of their early education.

85.

In this year, we have completed the refurbishment of 8 ECD centres and four

polytechnics, with works currently ongoing on a further 25 ECD centres and 8

polytechnics. Work on these institutions is expected to be complete in the first

quarter of the coming financial year. In addition, we have invested in equipment

worth Kes 54 million for the polytechnics, with each establishment receiving

equipment worth Kes 1.8 million, resulting in increased enrolment in this last

financial year.

86.

As part of increasing our Peoples literacy levels, the Department has installed

library seats and shelves for Githunguri Youth Empowerment Center which is

currently in the process of being equipped with necessary literature and library

equipment. The Department has also prioritized equipping a further 5 Youth

Empowerment Centers and construction of more in the sub counties that do nothave these centres. With the support of institutions such as Children International

Kenya, our children have benefited from a donation of library books worth over

Kes 10 million as we seek to improve the reading culture amongst our youth.

87.

Following a survey conducted in late 2013, it was established that several children

in our County faced severe challenges, key among them being going to school on

a hungry stomach. In this last financial year, my Government set aside Kes 30

million towards a feeding programme. Today, 120 of our 477 ECD centres are

beneficiaries of this programme with children being fed nutritious porridge made

from flour that contains proteins, vitamins, sugar and carbohydrates.


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88.

As part of improving the health of our early learners, the Department has

embarked on a regular de-worming programme in collaboration with various

NGOs and the donor community active in the County.

89.

With the children fed and more prepared to learn, the Department partnered with

IBM in the provision of the Kidsmart ICT learning equipment installed in 65

learning centers and a further 35 almost complete. It is targeted that by 2016, the

Kidsmart learning equipment will have been installed in 200 centers across the

County.

90.

With the support of the Honourable Members of this Assembly, the Department

successfully implemented the Kiambu County Education Bursary Fund Act and

relevant regulations. To date, a total of Kes 157 million has already been

disbursed to bright and promising young students in the County who have

demonstrated financial need to further their education. It is our intention to

continue with this noble endeavor to ensure that no child in the County is denied

an education on account of the inability to settle school fees.

91.

The Department has been very active in gender issues and ensuring the observance

of the 30% procurement threshold for women, youth and persons living with

disabilities. We have partnered with the Public Procurement Oversight Authority

in training women and persons living with disabilities in all the twelve sub

counties on how to apply for tenders in the County and in the Country. We also

partnered with KIST, in training youth and Women leaders in the twelve sub

counties in ICT.

92.

In support and recognition of the persons living with disabilities in the County, the

Department, in collaboration with Mt. Kenya University, organized Mr & Miss

PWLD finals. Speaking at the event, the Chief Officer for Education reiterated the


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County Governments continued commitment ensuring that the vulnerable

members in our Community are able to meet their basic human needs as advocated

under Article 43 of the Constitution.

93.

My County Government has also been working very closely with the National

Gender and Equality commission to ensure that issues of gender are addressed

across the Board and our County Executive Member is a member of the Working

Group on National Gender-Based Violence.

94.

Finally, with the ICT Directorate being housed in this Department, we are proud to

have invested heavily in different initiatives that have set us apart in this sector.

The Department provides regular, timely and accurate data and information to the

other Departments for purposes of policy formulation, planning and evidence-

based decision making on staffing and development issues. The Department also

administers the County Governmentswebsite, manages the Local Area Network

and Data Centre at the County Headquarters and has overseen the implementation

of the Wide Area Network to ensure that all our Sub-County offices have access to

Internet connectivity.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members of the Assembly:

95.

The active engagement of our youth in various activities ranging from sport to

economic endeavours is instrumental in reducing the crime rate in our County as

well as the heightened levels of alcohol consumption that has become rampant

across Kenya today.

96.

It is for this reason that the Department of Youth & Sports Affairs has embarked

on a vigorous campaign to engage our Youth in activities through which they can

expend their energy. For sporting purposes, we have completed the rehabilitation


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works of Thika Stadium and the rehabilitation of Kirigiti Stadium is expected to

commence in early July 2015.

97.

Our Youth have demonstrated excellence across the board in sports with Kiambu

All Stars currently participating in the Kenya Premier League Division One

League. The County Government of Kiambu participated in the KICOSCA Games

in August 2014 and emerged 5thplace overall. Our mens Volleyball, Basket Ball,

Darts and Table Tennis teams as well as Womens netball and draughts teams

excelled tremendously, with four of these teams proceeding to the East African

championships in Kampala.

98.

Two youth sponsored by the county government were part of the Kenyan Cycling

team that participated in Commonwealth Cycling Games held in Botswana. Our

Rowing and Canoeing teams were best overall in the country and also participated

in the East Africa Rowing and Canoeing Championships in Uganda.

99.

Our Thika Queens, also sponsored by the County government emerged 2014

Kenya Premier League Ladies Champions. Finally, the Kiambu Karate Team

participated in the East and Central Africa Marshall Arts Championship in South

Africa, bringing home 21 medals amongst the team members.

100.

As we nurture our youths sporting talent, we have also chosen to invest in

their economic empowerment. Last year, I stood before you to announce that the

County Government had embarked on the establishment of the Youth, Women and

Persons with Disabilities Fund. This was successfully launched in October 2014

and successful applicants have undergone a rigourous financial training boot camp

last week to ensure they are skilled in basic financial management and soft

business management skills prior to disbursement of funds.


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101.

412 people, including 31 groups comprising of youth, women and persons

living with disability, have been identified and trained as beneficiaries for the first

disbursement of the fund out of an overwhelming 32,000 applications.

102.

The current Fund Size is Kes 300 million shillings and this is targeted to

increase by a further Kes 100million in the financial year 2015/2016.

Applications were received from various sectors including agri-business,

(especially poultry, dairy farming, pig farming), the transport business

(specifically boda boda operators) and general retail shops. Beneficiaries of the

Fund will be closely monitored and mentored to ensure the optimal success of the

Fund, which is a first for any County Government and we are proud to be a

leading example to be emulated by other Counties.


103.

As we encourage our Youth to participate in, and take up new activities to

actively engage in the economy of our County, our Department of Trade, Industry,Tourism and Co-operative Development is actively facilitating the continued

investment into our County from the local and international business community.

104.

To ensure better trading environments for our vendors, we have constructed

and rehabilitated several markets at Githunguri, Gitaru, Limuru, Dagoretti, Karuri

amongst others. With the increasing number of Boda Boda operators in the

County, the Department has also overseen the construction of 60 bodaboda sheds

in each ward to centralize passenger collection and drop off points as well as

protect the operators from the vagaries of the weather.


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105.

The rehabilitation of the Jua Kali sheds in Gikambura, Gatuanyaga,

Kiambu, Ruiru and Gatundu North Sub-Counties is complete and our artisans now

have better working environments from which to operate.

106.

The Department is also overseeing the current rehabilitation of Cultural and

Tourism Centres at three major sites within the County such as the 14 Falls-Thika,

the Mau Mau Caves; and Ondiri Swamp in Kikuyu. The scope of works for these

include landscaping, installation of public toilets, park benches and proper signage

with a view to enhancing the recreational experience of our visitors to these sites.

107.

Charged with oversight of our cooperatives within the County, Department

has overseen the audit of several cooperatives, conducted inspections, registered

over 40 new cooperative societies and revived 10 dormant ones. It has also

invested in the training of cooperative committee staff, and members to increase

their governance and management skills.

Mr Speaker, Honourable Members of this Assembly, Ladies & Gentlemen:

108.

There is no doubt that the County Government of Kiambu is on the right

track. A lot has been achieved in these last two years, and I look forward to the

continued collaboration of the two arms of the County Government in the next

three years as we seek to meet our development agenda as promised to our People

on the Campaign trail. It is our duty to prove to them that they made the right

choice.

109.

Once again, I thank you for the opportunity to address this Assembly and I

commend you in your commitment to the continued prosperity of our County. We

have several success stories to share with our fellow Kenyans. Let us take every


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opportunity available to amplify these as we continue to advance the

transformation of this County.

Together, we move Kiambu County Forward.

THANK YOU AND GOD BLESS KIAMBU.

State of the County Address.

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