Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru has pleaded with Members of the County Assembly to pass the Constitutional Amendment Bill which she said will increase the county allocation from the current Sh 4 billion to Sh 8 billion.
While addressing the County Assembly, she said the MCAs should lead by example and be the first to approve the Bill in the Mt Kenya region.
“As we all know, we are in a constitutional Moment, a moment that calls on us leaders to amplify our voices and secure the interest of our people,” Waiguru told the members.
She said Kirinyaga county stand to benefit in many ways from BBI proposals and therefore the need for the leaders to support it.
“The increase of Sh 8 billion will enable us to realise enormous development for our people and reduce dependency on the national government,” she said.
The provision of a minimum of 5 percent allocation towards the ward development fund will guarantee at least Sh 400 million to every ward for purpose of development according to governor Waiguru.
She said the Bill has also provided for the inclusion of members of the County Assemblies as part of the County executive committee greatly enhancing collaboration between the assembly and the executive culminating into a better delivery of development agenda.
“We must separate matters concerning BBI from 2022 elections politics and therefore urge you to put your personal and partisan political interest aside, and put Kirinyaga people first and unanimously pass the proposed constitutional amendment Bill,” Waiguru said
Waiguru should have addressed the Assembly in November last year but the move was stopped by the outbreak of the Covid -19 pandemic in March same year.
Amid applause from the MCAs the governor outlined the many development projects her administration had accomplished in the area. She told the attentive MCAs how her administration had tried its best to deliver the much-needed services to the area residents.
“Since we took over the leadership of this county, we encountered many challenges along the way but despite this we have been able to deliver especially on infrastructure,” she said.
Among the achievements she added were modern markets at Kiamutugu, Ngurubani, Makutano, Kutus, Kagio, Kagumo, Kerugoya while many more were being built.
Waiguru said such markets were in deplorable conditions when she took over but have since been transformed into modern facilities with all the basic amenities available.
She also asked those who were criticising her administration to have a look at the almost completed modern Kerugoya Referral Hospital which will be ready for use by June this year.
“This facility upon completion will have state of the art theatres, ICU, HDU, X-ray, and piped oxygen supply to each of the 300 beds,” she said.
Upon completion, she added the facility will be equipped by the national government while some of such equipment will be provided by her administration, to make the facility go up to level five hospital.
The hospital has under Waiguru watch managed to put up a modern laundry, an incinerator, and a CT Scan machine. The face of this hospital has also changed for the better due to the ongoing modernization of its frontage.
Kagio, Kianyaga, and Kutus towns have also benefited from the modernization which has completely transformed these areas for better as compared to when they were all muddy
Waiguru has at the time come up with a poultry programme where women are having hens which produce 1 million eggs per month and pocketing Sh 1000 daily.
She also said a tomatoes processing factory will be set up at Karii market in an effort to contain post- harvest losses of the produce.
Her administration is also set to put up an avocado processing plant at Kanyekini Ward while 3,000 avocado seedlings have since been planted in the county.
She also enumerated various development projects across the county since she took over three years ago and promised the residents to expect much more before the end of her first term.
Assembly Speaker Antony Gathumbi led the momentous proceedings after which he adjourned the sitting to Monday next week.
ENDS/