Nairobi City County government plans to refurbish Joe Kadenge Stadium formerly known as City Stadium to International standards.
Nairobi City Governor Johnstone Sakaja said the stadium that will be revamped at a cost of Shs. 525 million will have all disciplines for an international stadium.
Sakaja who was addressing Nairobians who had gathered at Joe Kadenge Stadium in Makadara Constituency to celebrate the 60th Madaraka day announced that his government has contracted contractors to construct 17 kitchens that will be used to prepare food for all public schools.
“The process of grounding has already started. Learners will start eating their first meal when schools open in third term,” assured the Governor.
“We are aware that most of the children go to school when hungry, this is the reason we want to have a school feeding programme in all public schools,” he stated.
Sakaja said following the shortage of both primary and secondary schools in the County, he will partner with the Nairobi County Members of Parliament and the Women Representative to deliberate on how they can increase the number of learning institutions to avoid congestion in schools.
“We cannot depend on schools that were constructed by the colonial government, we need to add more, since the population of learners has increased,” he added.
He announced that the county government managed to collect Ksh. 1 billion as revenue between the months of January to April which it used to equip health facilities with medicine, pay Early Childhood Development and Nairobi Deaf Voluntary Counseling and Testing Centre teachers and to rehabilitate roads.
Governor Sakaja at the same time announced that his government has unified business permits and aligned all the different licenses with the aim of facilitating a single business permit.
Regarding health, Sakaja said the City County put in place an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Mama Lucy Hospital and will install the second one at Mbagathi Hospital besides a renal unit and a new born unit.
He revealed that for the last 3 years, health facilities in the county were not receiving drugs due to the huge bill of Sh. 1.8 million it was being owed, noting that he had already paid some money of which the county had received drugs worth 200 million.
Addressing members of the public who had gathered for the celebrations, the Nairobi County Senator Edwin Sifuna congratulated the Governor for bringing together all Nairobi leaders to walk and work together as leaders.
He also called on the Governor to hold discussions with the residents of Nairobi where the county wants to construct residential houses to hear their views before demolishing their houses.
The leaders who attended the celebrations among them Nominated Senators Tabitha Mutinda and Hamida Kibwana, Members of Parliament George Aladwa (Makadara) and Mark Mwenje (Embakasi West) congratulated Sakaja for the changes he has done, his good leadership and vowed to support him in his endeavor to change Nairobi City.
“You have taken a bipartisan approach, we are ready to support you,” they said.
Mwenje said Members of Parliament in Nairobi will assist the Governor to build school through the Constituency Development Fund to avoid congestion in classrooms and asked him to allocate them parcels of land for the purpose.
Aladwa told the Governor to only employ residents of Nairobi in the county government while commending him for including people from all tribes in his government.
The event was also graced by the Nairobi County Commissioner Susan Waweru who read the President’s speech.
By Bernadette Khaduli
