The government is in the process of operationalising all gazetted administrative units in country, Head of Public Service Felix Koskei has said.
Speaking during the Diif subcounty education day, where he was the chief guest, Koskei said that this was being done to improve service delivery, enhance governance and accelerate development.
Sebule subcounty is among those gazetted. It is set to be operationalised soon at ceremony that will be presided over by Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen.
The government gazetted many locations and sublocations between 2018-2019, which made it difficult to fully operationalise all of them due to limited resources.
“When his Excellency the President took office, he found out that we had more administrative units than the funds we had to operationalise them. So, what we have been doing as government is implementation as we move forward.”
Koskei assured the residents that he will talk to CS Murkomen to fast-track administrative units in the area as it is a security zone that calls for special attention.
He further called on residents to take advantage of the government’s move to remove the ID vetting process by applying for the document.
On February 4, President William Ruto signed a decree eliminating vetting requirements for residents of Northeastern Kenya applying for national identification documents.
“Any Kenyan from this part of the county who has attained 18 years has absolutely no reason not to acquire an identification card because the discriminative vetting that locked out majority of Kenyans is longer there."
Wajir Governor Ahmed Abdullahi reiterated the need to fast-track the posting of new officials to the new administrative units.
“The establishment and operationalisation of the new administrative units is a significant milestone in the area of local governance. Personally, I am a very happy man. As a county, we will also play our part and ensure that all county services are available to our people,” he said.
Abdullahi said the county had made significant strides in security and development, adding that hosting a high-level delegation just 4km from the Somali border reflected the improved peace and stability in the county.
“I encourage Cabinet secretaries and Principal secretaries to borrow a leaf from the Head of Public Service, who is here with us today, and visit all parts of the country as a demonstration of responsive and inclusive public service delivery.”
Area MP Mohamed Adow said for a long time, residents had been forced to seek services hundreds of kilometers away, which inconvenienced them and proved expensive.
“Not having a subcounty here has greatly inconvenienced my people. It has also been extremely expensive for them. As the area MP, I can't hide my joy and excitement. I am looking forward to seeing various government services offered here,” he said.
Other government officials present during the event included Principal secretaries Sylvia Museiya, Ahmed Ibrahim, Kello Harsama, and Ismail Madey, alongside members of the Wajir county assembly.
