Healthcare, food security top Jama’s five-year agenda

Garissa Governor Nathif Jama has promised to improve food security, and offer quality healthcare and clean water, as he starts his second and final term.

Jama said his administration was focused on addressing the perennial challenges head-on.

He said he would restore trust in the county leadership and give people hope that true leadership is about servant leadership.

Jama spoke during the official opening of the first session of the county assembly.

“My administration looks forward to having a close cordial working relationship with this house, particularly by attending to matters important to our people,” he said Tuesday.

“I know this house will be vigorous and objective in supporting our development plans. We will count on the support of this house to enact all legislation necessary for the smooth management of our socio-economic development requirements.”

He promised to look into the welfare of MCAs saying specific development agendas for the wards in full collaboration with them will be put in place.

The governor said capacity building and training, networking and benchmarking trips will be appropriate for the members.

Jama promised to pursue appropriate interventions to continue providing water to the residents.

He promised to establish additional water intake points located in different strategic locations along the river.

This, he said,  will ease pressure on the old existing water intake infrastructure and will enable pumping and supply of water to the new, periphery settlements of the town.

Jama said his administration will construct modern dams in the subcounties to conserve rainwater that will then be treated and supplied to residents.

He said urgent strategic measures will also be undertaken to reduce child/mother mortality rates.

“My administration will strive to ensure that access to maternal health and reproductive health is enhanced and provided in all county facilities, the governor said.

“We will renovate all existing laboratories, maternity wards, dispensaries, mortuary facilities, theatres, and X-ray centres and create more of these in different parts of the county.”

On the livestock and pastoral economy, Jama promised to carry out enhanced extension of veterinary services to ensure good animal health. 

“We plan to reform the largely traditional/pastoralist and subsistence sector into a vibrant commercially-oriented sector through targeted value chains and technology uptake,” he said.

“We plan to complete the construction of the Garissa export slaughterhouse for processing of livestock meat and meat products.”

Jama called on the MCAs not to betray the people saying that if they do so, history will judge them harshly.

“We have all been given a five-year mandate to raise the living standards of our people. If we abuse the confidence of the public for short-term benefits our legacy will also be irreparably harmed,” he said.

He said his government will soon present the 2022-23 supplementary budget to support the implementation of priority programmes, urging the MCAs to support the budget.

He said the realisation of meaningful development cannot be sustained for the residents unless drought management activities are mainstreamed into the county’s development plans. 

“My plan for 2022-2027 is to adopt a paradigm shift of an institutional nature in matters of drought management by implementing major dry-land farming schemes in Waso plains (Lorian swamp) of Lagdera subcounty, Gababa of Ijara subcounty and Fafi plains of Fafi subcounty,” Jama said.

He said the projects will be undertaken based on harvested rainwater while also underground (borehole) water, which may be resorted to where this is deemed economically possible.

Edited by Kiilu Damaris