Kibwana banks on farming and health to spur growth

Infrastructure, health, agriculture and water sectors, top Makueni’s investment agenda, Governor Kivutha Kibwana has said.

The county’s financial management plan is based on a document called The Makueni 2014 County Fiscal Strategy Paper, he said.

The paper, Prof Kibwana said, sets out the priorities of the county in the medium term as outlined in the County Integrated Development Plan that covers the years 2013 to 2017 and aligned with the counties Second Medium Term Plan of the Vision 2030.

“The CFSP outlines the key government interventions in the next fiscal year. The emphasis will be on allocating resources to programmes,” he said.

More resources will go towards increasing equity in sharing of the resources in line with the county vision.

Makueni is prone to drought, which is likely to hamper growth.

To address such challenges, the county government will introduce sorghum farming targeting 20,000 farmers and 60,000 hectares of plantation.

Governance and accountability in the management of public resources remain key in the implementation of planned programmes, the paper says.

The county will also embark on a campaign to educate citizens on the importance of paying taxes through tax clinics across the expansive region.

Prof Kibwana added that a policy to monitor and evaluate projects will be developed and submitted to the executive for approval.

The paper also stresses that monthly and quarterly expenditure reports be submitted to the executive by the budget department.