The multi-million shillings North and North Eastern Development Initiative (NEDI) that will see 10 counties in Arid and Semi-Arid benefit from World Bank funding was today launched in Garissa.
Speaking during the launch, Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa who was the chief guest thanked the governor from the counties for coming up with a visionary economic block that is meant to bridge development in this region with the rest of the country.“I want to thank the pioneers of this noble visionary initiative that led to the formation of the economic block. I want to encourage other economic blocks to come together to expand trade and other economic activities for the benefit of their people,” Wamalwa said.He assured the governors that the national government and other development agencies will fully support them to ensure that ambitious programmes under the initiative succeed.“We shall come up with the necessary policies and legal frameworks that will guide initiatives now and in future. We shall give you backup and support in this noble journey,” he added. Set to benefit from a Sh120 billion World Bank-funded kitty for projects to plug gaps in development.Under the banner NEDI that will cover Mandera, Garissa, Isiolo, Lamu, Marsabit, Samburu, Tana River, Turkana, Wajir and West Pokot, the counties will receive funding to support off-grid solar access for the underserved counties, climate-smart agriculture, water, and sanitation development.Ms Helene Carrison Rex, the Programme leader for NEDI from the World Bank said the aim of funds is to attract investments to the region to complement the ongoing government efforts to improve equity as well as reduce extreme poverty.Similarly, earmarked for funding is the North Eastern Transport Improvement Project, the development of a response to displacement impacts projects and additional financing for national safety net programme.Governors Ali Roba (Mandera), Ali Korane (Garissa), Josephat Nanok (Turkana), Mohamed Abdi (Wajir), Mohammed Kuti (Isiolo) and Mohamud Mohamed Ali (Marsabit) were present. Also present were Ukur Yatani CS labor and his water county part Samwel Chelugui among other guests.In his address, the council of governor chair Josephat Nanok said the initiative that he was part of the brainchild behind it will go a long way in improving the livelihoods of the resident in the 10 counties that were neglected by successive regimes.“We are so much behind in development despite these counties being home to one of the richest natural resources in the country. We develop and come up with programmes that will see the utilization of such resources for the benefit of our people,” he said.The governors who spoke underscored the need for increasing access to modern energy services to households."After devolution, this is the second largest transformative project in the region and residents now have a feeling of inclusive and will have a profound impact on populations," said Mandera Governor Ali Roba. Governors Roba and Korane said many investors have in the past been turned away from the region because of lack of basic infrastructure. They mentioned lack of roads, the absence of electricity grid to support cottage industries and manufacturing as enshrined in the Big Four agenda of the National Government.The governors lauded how the Isiolo-Moyale road has opened up trade and investments in the region previously shunned because of roads.The leaders said the narrative of the Northern Kenya and North Eastern areas of Kenya as insecure, underdeveloped and unattractive for investors should change.The projects will seek to improve water supply and sanitation in Mandera Town, Wajir, town and Dadaab communities.The projects also seek to increase agricultural productivity and build resilience to climate change risks in the targeted smallholder farming and pastoral communities. Other areas include increase livestock productivity and open up market access.