Masalani rejoices as town uplifted to municipality

Residents of Masalani town in Ijara subcounty are thankful their town has been elevated to a municipality as it will increase development.

Speaking at county headquarters when he signed the municipality charter bill, Governor Nathif Jama said  the move was an important step in the county's development.

The upgraded towns of the county  will be able to get national and international recognition. This in turn,will enable them raise their own funds even from foreign development partners.

The status will attract investors and residents will enjoy more development in infrastructure, agriculture, drainage, education and other social amenities, Jama said.

The governor said he will soon be nominating board members who will then be vetted by the county assembly. The position of the municipal manager will also be advertised.

He said Sh50 million will be set aside in the supplementary budget to operate the municipality before the end of the financial year.

Speaking separately, county secretary Mohamud Mursal said that once all the processes are concluded, functions like the municipality roads will be developed further.

“For us to do that we have to gazette the devolvement of the functions , which will be done in the next two weeks. then the other things will follow,” the county secretary said.

Assembly Majority leader Abubakar Khalif who expedited the process in the house described it as a milestone.

“It gives me great pleasure to see a process that I expedited in the house being concluded with the elevation of the town into a municipality. This is a great milestone not only for the people of Masalani town but also the entire county .

"As the legislature arm of the government , we will continue working closely with the executive and approve the bills that will ensure the other towns  — Dadaab,Bura, Mudugashe and Balambala —towns are equally upgraded into municipalities,” he said.

Abdi Hussein a trader in Masalani town  lauded the effort by the county governments effort of elevating the town to a municipality saying that they have greater expectations, especially in the growth of infrastructure and service delivery to the area residents.

The signing at the county headquarters was witnessed by a leaders including Deputy Governor Abdi Daganea and county Secretary Mohamud Mursal among other leaders.

According to the urban areas and cities Act of 2011, a municipality must have a population of 70,000 to 249,000.

Additionally, it should have an integrated development plan and demonstrable capacity to generate sufficient revenue to sustain its operations.

It should have sufficient space for expansion, as well as the capacity to effectively deliver essential services to its residents, among other requirements.

(Edited by V. Graham)