The national government has invested heavily in projects aimed at improving the lives of the residents of Kisii and Nyamira counties.
President Uhuru Kenyatta has said the government is working closely with the county governments of Kisii and Nyamira to boost the economy of the region.
The President, who recently visited Kisii and Nyamira, told Egesa FM that the government is undertaking priority interventions in both counties.
The Head of State pointed out that during his recent visit he launched key roads in Kisii and Nyamira.
These were the Sh1.9 billion Mogonga-Kenyenya-Riokindo-Magenche-Mariba-Nyagancha-Ebegere-Daraja road and the Marani road at a cost of Sh2 billion in Kisii. In Nyamira, the President launched the Sh547.4 million Mosobeti-Kebirigo road.
“One of our major objectives of visiting the two counties was to launch these roads because infrastructure is a key ingredient to unlocking the economic potential,” President Kenyatta said.
President Kenyatta added that besides the roads he launched, the national government plans to construct an additional 200 kilometres of roads in the area.
The President revealed that the government will in the next two months issue tenders for the construction of more roads in the densely populated region.
“These are very productive counties and the roads will improve the transportation of people and farm produce to the markets,” he said.
He said his visit also focused on the health sector where the Jubilee Government has invested more than Sh1.45 billion through the Managed Equipment Service project in the two counties.
While in the South Nyanza region, the President commissioned the Managed Equipment Service project at Nyamira Level 5 and Kisii Level 6 Teaching and Referral hospitals valued at Sh700 million and Sh750 million respectively.
“Working together with county governments, we want to ensure that Kenyans have access to specialised medical services whenever they need them,” the President said.
He affirmed that was the reasoning behind the Managed Equipment Service project where two hospitals in every county are being equipped with MRI, theatre, renal dialysis, radiology and Intensive Care Unit facilities.
On electricity, President Kenyatta said that the government has connected 750 primary schools to electricity in Kisii and 410 in Nyamira in the last three years.
“The beauty of this project is that homesteads within a radius of 600 metres from the connected primary schools will get supplied with electricity at an affordable cost,” he said.
He added: “This has removed the burden that was placed on consumers in the past where they were required to meet the cost for transformer installation.”
On education, President Kenyatta said he commissioned the Ekerubo Gietai Technical Training Institute in Nyamira – constructed at a cost of Sh500 million – as part of the Government’s effort to equip youths with skills to earn a living.
The Head of State disclosed that the government also plans to undertake measures to revive and boost tea and coffee farming in the two counties.
He says he got the opportunity to discuss with leaders and residents the challenges facing tea and coffee farmers during the visit.
“Tea and Coffee farmers cooperatives in the two counties are bogged down by heavy debts running close to Sh600 million. We agreed that the county and national governments should combine efforts and address that problem,” he said.
The President also confirmed that the government is exploring ways to promote other raw materials from Kisii and Nyamira including soapstone and bananas.
He said the construction of roads and increased connection to electricity are among the strategies employed by Government to ensure better returns for the residents.
“You cannot attract meaningful investments in areas where there are no necessary facilities like good roads and electricity,” he said.
He urged the county governments of Kisii and Nyamira to also chip in by setting aside land for the construction of factories that will help in value addition of raw materials.
On the issue of people who were displaced by the 2007/8 post-elections violence, President Kenyatta said the government has completed the resettlement of all those who were in camps and is set to embark on resettling those who had opted to live with neighbours and relatives who are also called ‘integrated IDPs’.
“After resettling the IDPs that were in tented camps, our focus now shifts to helping the integrated ones. Here, one of the main issues is identifying the genuine integrated IDPs,” he said.
He appealed to leaders and citizens to help in the identification of the genuine integrated IDPs so that the exercise is implemented smoothly and to avoid wastage of public resources.
In the interview, President Kenyatta also talked about security, where he assured that the government has increased the number of police officers and equipped them adequately to address the challenges of insecurity across the country.