How devolution is changing lives in the counties

Wajir’s first tarmac road funded by the county government under construction. PHOTO | SHEKHEY AHMED |

What you need to know:

  • Decentralisation has seen Kenyans access essential services that initially were just but a dream for many.

Halima Mukhtar, a midwife in the remote Mansa Division of Wajir County, used to attend to up to four women at the same time.

She was the only midwife in the vast division.

“I helped many women deliver, but others still died in my arms. Many developed complications but unfortunately I couldn’t do anything about it,” she says.

That was two years ago. But with the advent of devolution, things have changed.

“The county government has recruited nurses and most women now deliver in hospital. Only few cases are brought to my attention. We also have a standby ambulance.”

A World Bank Report on expenditure by the counties last week rated Wajir tops, with an allocation of 58 per cent to development projects.

A survey by the Saturday Nation revealed that apart from health, the county also scored big on water, roads and other infrastructure allocations.

Locals say devolution has brought development they have not seen since independence.

Governor Ahmed Abdullahi said his government took over the health sector at a time patients would be told to buy even Panadol from private pharmacies.

“Today, we have 32 well-equipped maternity wings constructed at Sh6 million each, eight fully equipped new ambulances and eight old ones repaired at a cost of Sh67 million. Eight new dispensaries were established and 16 old ones revived,” he said.

The county government has also recruited doctors and nurses.

The roads sector has also benefited. For the first time ever, Wajir will have tarmacked roads. The 25 kilometre tarmac network within Wajir Town will cost Sh1.2 billion. It is now at the sub-layer level.

REDUCE EXPENDITURE

Mr Abdullahi said his government will reduce the recurrent expenditure to make the much-needed development a reality.

Similar good stories are told in other counties ranked highly by the World Bank.

In Murang’a, the administration of Governor Mwangi Wa Iria has pumped about Sh500 million into the dairy sector.

This leading economic sector had been neglected and middlemen took advantage to swindle farmers by buying their milk at throwaway prices.

The county government has bought 35 milk coolers for each ward.

Women and youth are being encouraged to form groups to benefit from heifers to start a dairy herd scheme, and easily access to Artificial Insemination (AI) services, among other projects.

The county aims at selling milk straight to the processors at an agreed price, which will be beneficial to farmers, and it has established a County Co-operative Creamery that will oversee the operations of the ward-based co-operatives.

Farmers interviewed said they are optimistic that milk prices will go up to even Sh40 a litre, from the current prices of between Sh27 and Sh34 a litre.

“Through the help of the county government, we have been enlisted in a cooperative,” Kamau Kinuthia said.

Milk coolers in eight wards have already in operation. Muthithi Dairy Co-operative in Kigumo sub-county collect over 1,000 litres of raw milk a day while Kiairathe Dairy Co-operative in Kangema Sub-County collect about 1,500 litres.

“We have a deal with Brookside Dairy that they will be collecting 30,000 litres per day. We plan to produce 175,000 litres a day and put the extra litres into the dispenser programme for schools and hospitals,” said Edward Muiruri, the County Executive for Co-operative Development.

In Kisii, which spent 32 per cent of its allocation on development, Governor James Ongwae’s flagship project has arguably been the transformation of the Kisii Teaching and Referral hospital.

“In the last financial year, the health sector was the highest spender in the Kisii County government, with an allocation of Sh2.5 billion. This was almost one quarter of the total Sh6.1 billion that was allocated to the region,” Mr Ongwae says.

“The hospital, which serves over six million people from the larger Kisii region and surrounding areas, now has an operational renal unit, with five dialysis machines,” he adds.

Other projects at the hospital include the construction of a 150 bed ward to increase the overall capacity to 600, the construction of a hostel with 50 self-contained rooms and a restaurant for interns and any doctors on exchange visits.

In Nyamira, listed in the report as having met the 30 per cent threshold, Governor John Nyagarama says the bulk of the Sh3.6 billion they received was allocated to the health, agriculture and education sectors.

Solar-powered street lighting has also directly impact on traders.

County Secretary Erich Onchana says the objective of this programme is to ensure major towns and trading centres achieve a 24-hour economy.

LONGER HOURS

“Street lighting has enhanced security and some traders are carrying out their activities for longer than it was previously,” he says.

In Bomet, officials say an infrastructure upgrade had gobbled up a huge percentage of the development funds.

Deputy Governor Stephen Mutai puts the amount so far spent on the improvement of the infrastructure at more than Sh600 million.

In Machakos, the 33 kilometre road that connects Kithimani at the Thika-Garissa Highway to Makutano, Mwala junction towards Machakos, complete with lights, is perhaps symbolic of the development strides Machakos has taken since the advent of devolution.

Governor Alfred Mutua built the road in a record three months at a cost of Sh650 million.

Reports by Shekhey Ahmed Mohamed, Dave Opiyo, Henry Nyarora, Geoffrey Rono and Stephen Muthini, James Ngunjiri and Martin Mwaura