Busia CeCs Leonard Obimbira (Finance), Bernard Yaite (Public Works) and Chief Officers Gregory Akide (Lands) and Ezekiel Okwach (Office of the Governor) during a meeting with the PPP Unit team in Nairobi on Monday. [Photo/ Reuben Olita]
The Busia County Government has identified four priority projects for funding by the Public Private Partnership Unit, a specialised unit within the National Treasury.Busia Deputy Governor Moses Mulomi led the County team for the talks with the PPP Unit team at the Reinsurance Plaza in Nairobi on Monday.The PPPU unit was led by Monitoring and Evaluation Specialist at the National Treasury Wycliffe Ondieki with Andrew Sprott and Caroline Maina representing the World Bank.Mulomi was accompanied by County Executive Committee Members Bernard Yaite (Public Works), Martin Kafwa (Lands), Leonard Obimbira (Finance) and Chief Officers Gregory Akide (lands) and Ezekiel Okwach (Office of the Governor).Yaite said they had identified the development of a trailer park in Busia and Malaba as the potential project for PPPU funding in Busia County.The second priority project is the development of an Oil Depot considering that the National Government is expanding the oil depot fromKericho to Kisumu and then to Busia. Mundika or Matayos will host the depot.Construction of low-cost housing units for staff and county residents, upgrading of slums in Busia and Malaba and development of an airport are other priorities Busia County will present for consideration into PPPU stream by February 2nd.The Deputy Governor said lack of parking facilities for trailers results in large queues in Malaba and Busia and not forgetting inherent dangers associated with petroleum products.Kafwa said other plans for the County Government were to construct a dual carriageway from Mundika to the Busia Border Town and to create by-passes, 10 kilometers outside the Central business districts of Malaba and Busia towns.Yaite said the 11kilometre bypass in Busia has already been inspected by the Kenya National Highway Authority, adding that there will be need to develop a bridge along the by-pass.He said they are also proposals by the county government to develop mini-grids in the main pumping station of Mundika and other areas including the Referral hospital, Malakisi, and Port Victoria."This will generate extra energy that will be a good revenue source earner for the County. It will also reduce the operation costs by about 80 percent. We need to adopt 100 percent solar or hybrid system," he said.