Leaders from Kajiado and Narok counties are working on modalities for establishment of a common economic bloc to increase their bargaining power and improve the living standards of residents.
The joint economic bloc will create systems and frameworks between Narok and Kajiado counties to ensure collaboration in policy formulation, resource mapping and management, marketing and branding strategies, and access to credit for increased investment, women and persons with disability empowerment, value addition strategies and the cohesion and integration of communities.
Narok-Kajiado economic bloc Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Jackson Ole Mpario said that uniting the two counties as an economic bloc will help to increase their bargaining power and make it easier to access funding.
“The Kajiado and Narok governors as well as the county executives and the county assemblies have had ongoing discussions for two years on the formation of an economic bloc between the two counties. The main purpose of the economic bloc is to boost the economy of the two counties in a way that an individual county on its own would not be able to achieve by utilizing the economics of scale.” said Mpario.
According to Kajiado County Assembly Chief Whip and Nkaimurunya Ward Member of County Assembly (MCA) James Waichanguru Ndirangu, uniting Kajiado and Narok counties through the economic bloc will be a great milestone for the two counties because of their similarities in tourism, agriculture and culture.
“Uniting Kajiado and Narok as an economic block will enable the counties to harness and develop the best policies to ensure that the residents reap maximum benefit. In Kajiado for example we have many farmers who need to be helped in terms of marketing and value addition, “said Ndirangu.
He said that uniting the counties as a block will help in solving the economic challenges faced by the two counties in arid and semi-arid lands (ASAL) by engaging in value addition of plant and animal produce like meat and leather to boost returns.
The joint committee comprising of members from Narok and Kajiado counties is currently collecting views from members of the public for the Narok-Kajiado Economic Bloc Bill of 2021 through public participation forums for incorporation and amendment of the Bill. The Bill will later be tabled for approval before the Kajiado and Narok county assemblies.
Creation of an economic bloc will help to create systems that will effectively utilize resources within the two counties and promote ease of trade between the counties.
By Amy Moyi
