The government will ensure all National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs) have good operational offices to enable them deliver quality services to members of the public.
Interior and National Administration Cabinet Secretary Onesmus Kipchumba Murkomen has said the government will equip and digitize its offices, besides providing officers with vehicles to enable them access grassroots areas with ease.
“You must look into the welfare of the people you lead. If you go to a police station and find there is no cell, or it is grossly understaffed, this will impact negatively on service delivery,” said Murkomen, while briefing the media outside Makueni County Commissioner’s office.”
As CS, mine is leadership. There is a thin line between the welfare of officers and provision of services. They must have a place to serve from,” he added.
Later on, Murkomen addressed wananchi at Makueni Boys High School during Jukwaa la Usalama forum, where he said the National Administration offices including police stations and administrative units will have the same designs.
“We want to have a design for our administrative offices. We should have standard offices for administration offices and the police stations,” he said.
During the forum, chiefs, and their Assistants, the police, Assistant County Commissioners and Deputy County Commissioners gave their score cards, besides issues to do with their welfare including promotions and mobility.
Members of the public drawn from 10 sub counties in the region were also accorded a rare opportunity to present their views on pertinent issues affecting their wellbeing.
On the newly created administrative units across the country, Murkomen said they needed Sh2.5 billion to operationalize them saying efforts are being made to ensure they become functional soon.
On critical infrastructures, the CS said security agencies will ensure all the facilities are protected, adding that a special unit was protecting the Mombasa-Nairobi highway against vandals.
Concerning uniforms for chiefs and their assistants, the CS gave a directive that the uniforms be availed at all county headquarters to curb the trend of going to acquire them from Nairobi.
In another development, Murkomen warned officers against engaging in bribery saying this creates enmity between the people and the government, while saying he will not defend any officer engaged in this vice.
He warned corrupt officers that they will be dealt with ruthlessly.” I will not defend anybody who will be involved in corruption,” he warned.
During the forum, Murkomen called for concerted efforts to win war against Gender Based Violence, suicide, murder, defilement and rape, which he lamented were rampant in the area.
Speaking at the same event, Makueni Governor Mutula Kilonzo Jr expressed concerns over the rampant cases of vandalism of government projects especially in Kilome in Mukaa Sub County and asked the Interior Cabinet Secretary to make some changes in the security agencies in the area.
“The biggest vandalism is done in Konza City. We need a shakeup of security officers in Kilome,” lamented Mutula.
On land, the governor disclosed that each of the 30 wards will have a budget for succession matters; monies that will be used in helping wananchi get title deeds in a bid to curb cases of suicide.
“The increase of suicide cases in the county are linked to land disputes. We need to help our people get title deeds to curb this worrying trend,” he stressed.
In this regard, he appealed to the national government to ensure the 7,000 title deeds lying at the Land Registrar offices are distributed to wananchi in a bid to reduce conflicts at family level.
He also said the County Conservation Committee led by the County Commissioner should conduct their sittings at Kibwezi, where human/wildlife conflicts are rampant in order to avoid the travel costs the affected people have to incur to Wote town during hearings.
“We need the County Conservation Committee to hold their sittings at Kibwezi, where we have issues of Human/wildlife conflicts,” pleaded the Governor.
Speaking at the same event, Makueni Member of Parliament Susan Ndunge Kiamba lamented over the alleged shoddy job in the construction of affordable housing saying there need to be close supervision of the project.
“The quality of houses being constructed is wanting. There is need for close supervision of construction of the houses. Kenyans need value for their money,” said Kiamba.
By Patrick Nyakundi
