Bura Municipality in Garissa County has now been fully operationalized, as the board members took the oath of office and are expected to assume their duties immediately.
The municipality, which was launched on October 20 during the Mashujaa Day celebrations, is the fourth in the county after Garissa Town, Masalani, and Dadaab, as the area Governor Nathif Jama pushes for more units to devolve services further.
Those who were sworn in by Garissa Chief Magistrate Stephen Mbungi are Mohamed Gabow Kharbat (Chairperson) and members who include Ibrahim Ismail Khalif, Mahat Moulid Bashir, Elias Ahmed Lebi, Abdirauf Osman Abdi, Halima Ali Gure, and Nasra Farah Gure.
In his address during the event, Governor Jama congratulated the new Municipality Board members for making it to the capacity of serving the people of Bura by taking services closer to them.
Jama has been advocating for more municipalities to enable towns to attract investors and donors, who are likely to supplement the efforts by both the national and county governments for urban development.
“The way forward for our country and for the counties in particular is through the municipalities. That is where the action is supposed to take place. That is where a lot of funding is supposed to go. Indeed, that is where we, as key stakeholders in devolution, believe that by creating these municipalities, we are also devolving further,” Jama said in a previous interview with KNA on the need to create more municipalities.
Among the functions that will be performed by the municipality are the promotion, regulation, and provision of refuse collection and solid waste management services.
Others are the promotion and provision of water and sanitation services and infrastructure (in areas within the municipality not served by the Water and Sanitation Provider).
The status will further attract investors, and residents will enjoy more development in infrastructure, agriculture, drainage, education, and other social amenities.
According to the Urban Areas and Cities Act of 2011, a municipality must have a population of 70,000 to 249,000.
Additionally, it should have an integrated development plan and demonstrable capacity to generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operations.
It should have sufficient space for expansion as well as the capacity to effectively deliver essential services to its residents, among other requirements.
By Erick Kyalo
