Garissa Governor Ali Korane has urged residents in all the 30 wards to identify and submit their development needs to his office.
Korane said that 100 per cent input from residents was paramount if “real development was to be realised”.
He spoke in Bura town, Fafi subcounty as he wound up his tour of the vast region.
The county chief said that it would be a waste of public resources to commit huge amounts of resources into projects that residents don’t require or have not approved.
Counties have been blamed for initiating projects without involving the beneficiaries, leading to hundreds of stalled, or unused facilities.
The situation is no different in Garissa county.
Projects such as market stalls, nursery schools and slaughterhouses built by the previous administration remain unused. Locals say the projects were not a priority to them.
“We have seen in the past costly projects started only for residents to oppose them because they were either not involved or the project was not a priority to them. My administration wants to completely avoid this,” he said.
Korane said that an inventory of all projects in the county, which started in October, is almost complete.
The inventory will inform the prudent allocation of the devolved funds in each ward, he said.
The county chief defended his promise in June last year that his administration will build some 2,000km of roads in partnership with a Dutch company.
“I want to assure the people of Garissa that we are still on it and we are not ready to give up. I am confident that we will get something out of the partnership,” he said.
(edited by O. Owino)
