- “To finance our plan, we require a substantial amount of resources to fully implement the set programmes and projects amounting to Sh133.6 billion,” said Lenku.
- The governor said the county registered key milestones that include the formulation and enactment of key laws and policies to provide a conducive operating environment.
Image: KURGAT MARINDANY.
Governor Joseph Ole Lenku has launched his third-generation county integrated development plan (CIDP) 2023-27 at Umma University in Kajiado.
The CIDP he launched is the third under the devolved system of government.
Lenku said the CIDP provides a development roadmap for the next five-year period, with the implementation process starting in July 2023.
Sections 102(h), 104(1) and 108 of the County Government Act 2012 require county governments to prepare 5-year CIDPs, which form the basis for appropriation of funds.
Section 104 (1) of the Act obligates the county governments to say, that no public funds should be appropriated without a planning framework.
“It is based on these legal provisions that we have prepared the third-generation CIDP that will guide the allocation of resources to priority programmes and projects,” said Lenku during the launch of CIDP at Umma University on Wednesday.
The governor said the 2023-2027 CIDP aligns with the national development framework – the Kenya Vision 2030 and its 4th Medium-Term Plan, the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA).
The plan, he said, is further aligned to international commitments and obligations such as the Sustainable Development Goals, the Paris Agreement on climate change and the Sendai Framework.
“I commit good governance, transparency and accountability to promote teamwork as we work together,” said Lenku.
He said his administration implemented various programmes and projects under the 2018-2022 CIDP themed “fostering social, economic and political development for sustainable growth”.
The governor said the county registered key milestones that include the formulation and enactment of key laws and policies to provide a conducive operating environment.
“We developed and positively worked with strategic partnerships including the national government, development partners, local stakeholders and our communities,” he said.
The governor said the effects of COVID-19 on various sectors of the county's micro and macro economy cannot be gainsaid.
“Many Kenyans lost their jobs and livelihoods and even before got out of it, the prolonged drought set in and the result has been total crop failures and unprecedented livestock deaths triggering severe food shortages in the country and more specifically in ASAL counties,” Lenku said.
He claimed that the national treasury in the past, failed to adhere to the approved cash disbursement schedule, causing delayed disbursements to counties thus hindering proper financing and employee compensation payments.
The governor said the Covid pandemic coupled with the prolonged drought affected and drastically brought down the collection of revenues in the county.
“Delivery of our flagship projects received serious challenges which were occasioned by internal implementation mechanisms,” he said.
The termination of grants, Lenku said, has had a major negative impact on many areas of service delivery in the county.
Pending bills
The governor said pending bills demotivated many suppliers and hurt the local economy.
Achievements
Governor Lenku said his administration managed the construction of water pans to facilitate water harvesting for domestic, farming and livestock.
He said his government invested heavily in the county spatial plan to provide a framework for land use management of geographic information systems (GIS) and the digital land management system.
He said the enhanced management of the land registry, ensures credibility of title deeds.
The establishment of the alternative justice system for land dispute resolution, Lenku said, is another plus for his administration.
He said his administration managed to enhance and operationalise urban management services in 3 municipalities of Kajiado, Ngong and Kitengela towns.
Infrastructure and ICT
The governor said there was enhanced connectivity through the construction of tarmac roads in urban areas of Kajiado, Ngong Rongai, Kitengela and Isinya towns.
“The construction of tarmac roads was achieved through collaboration with various partners such as KeRRA, KURA and the World Bank,” he said.
The governor mentioned the construction of major bridges connecting subcounties/ wards, including the controversial Paai Bridge, as success stories.
The Paai Bridge collapsed less than one week after it was unveiled and commissioned for use.
When it collapsed after some Sh100 million was expended, the governor blamed the hand of God for what happened.
The bridge was later reconstructed but the amount used to bring it up was not announced.
General Economic and Commercial Affairs
Governor Lenku said the development of market infrastructure in urban areas such as the Ngong ultra-modern market in particular through the World Bank and livestock markets across the county, was also a plus for the county.
“We managed to improve waste garbage management in the removal of the Ngong dump site,” he said.
With the support of partners especially the World Bank, Lenku said, several roads were upgraded to bitumen standards in Kitengela, Isinya including the construction of bus parks and the opening up to 10,000 km of murram rural roads.
Environment Water and Natural Resources
“We have increased access to clean and safe water for many households through the development of water sources such as the protection of springs, drilling of boreholes and enhancement of water harvesting,” Lenku said.
He said there was increased water reticulation from the boreholes in the county.
Health
Lenku also said the was enhanced access to healthcare services across the county through, the recruitment of healthcare personnel, improvement of infrastructure, and increased specialised services such as eye and dental services.
Education
“To ensure that needy and vulnerable learners have access to education my government invested in scholarship and bursary programmes with over Sh100 million disbursed annually over the plan period,” he said.
Lenku thanked the county assembly for facilitating the enactment of various legislations and providing oversight to the county executive thereby creating an enabling environment for the many achievements recorded during the 2018-2022 Plan period.
He said the CIDP identifies the county’s transformative development agenda that is expected to spur socio-economic growth over the medium term.
“To finance our plan, we require a substantial amount of resources to fully implement the set programmes and projects amounting to Sh133.6 billion,” said Lenku.
The projected revenue by the county government is Sh64.5 billion, thus a resource gap of Sh71.4 billion the governor added.