SPONSORED CONTENT: Wajir County government’s transformation agenda plan

Our focus in Wajir: Equity and fairness all through

Message from the Governor

Equitable sharing of county resources and fairness will be a key pillar in our administration and a basis for an elaborate cohesion and integration framework. This will serve Wajir County as the foundation for robust good governance, conflict mitigation and response mechanism.

We wish to see the restoration of Wajir County to its lost glory of a progressive, peaceful and secure community that lays the foundation for economic prosperity and investment.

H.E Amb. Mohamed Abdi Mahamud, EGH

Governor, Wajir County

Message from the Deputy Governor

Under our leadership, we will undertake projects and programmes aimed at improving our food security. We will work vigorously towards attaining a food secure and peaceful County through the development of sustainable rain-fed and irrigation agricultural models, thereby enhancing strategic grain reserves for Wajir County.

H.E Ahmed Ali Muktar

Deputy Governor, Wajir County

WARD-BASED DEVELOPMENT PROJECTS

As you may recall, devolving resources to the ward level by implementing Ward-Based Development Projects was a key milestone in our manifesto.

Devolution is not and cannot be ‘ugatuzi’ without devolving resources further to the sub-counties and wards. To actualise this, the County Government has allocated Ksh25 million worth of community development projects to every ward, totalling to Ksh750 million for the 30 wards in Wajir County.

Communities and their representatives were involved in the identification and prioritisation of various projects in health, education, water and sanitation, roads, agriculture and livestock, energy and environment in community meetings held in the respective wards.

The Ward Based Development Projects are at the implementation stage. They are 47 health projects at a cost of Ksh144 million; 77 education projects at a cost of Ksh118.31 million; 90 water and sanitation projects at a cost of Ksh209.09 million; 65 road projects at a cost of Ksh190.1 million; 15 agriculture and livestock projects at a cost of Ksh33.7 million; 11 energy and environment projects at a cost of Ksh24.3 million; and 11 decentralised unit projects at a cost of Ksh34.5 million.

Cumulatively, these projects stand at 314 as an evidence that the County Government has walked the talk, as the implementation of the Ward Based Development Projects will significantly impact and transform the lives of people at the grassroots level.

PERFORMANCE CONTRACTING

To enhance performance management in the county, the Governor will hold all CECs and CCOs responsible through performance contracts. With these, their performances will be monitored quarterly to assess whether they are delivering appropriate services to the people as per the stipulated timelines and quality.

EDUCATION

(a)  County Bursary Scheme: The County Government plans to at least spend Ksh120 million every financial year to support needy students.

(b)  Wajir ECDE College (state of the art learning resource centre): The college will offer training to Wajir County ECD teachers.  We intend to welcome the first batch of trainees on December, 2018.

(c)   Introduction of School Milk Programme for Wajir ECD children: We aspire to supplement the maize grain currently offered with 200ml milk for our 264 ECD centres countywide. This will reduce cases of malnutrition and enhance enrolment, retention and transition rate. We will roll out the programme in the 2018/2019 fiscal year. 

(d)   We plan to do a major transformation that affects all facets of polytechnics in Wajir County. We aspire to innovate the institutions to produce graduates who have knowledge that are demand-driven and are sought after by industries and community. This will trigger economic growth, lower unemployment rate in the county and decrease penury. Our vision is to make Wajir East Polytechnic as the regional hub for technical skills.

LIVESTOCK AND AGRICULTURE

Livestock

Livestock is the economic mainstay of Wajir County, with over 80 percent of the households deriving their livelihoods from the sub-sector. 

The county government has put in place mechanisms aimed at enhancing range rehabilitation and upscaling irrigated fodder production. These activities include range condition assessments, implementation of grazing management plans, fodder trainings and support to fodder farmers, among other activities.

The county has constructed eight new strategic hay stores. The stores have been stocking a total of 9,000 bales of hay per year since 2014, from local farmers in Wajir, Bute and Habaswein. About 500 acres of land have been put under natural pastures, from less than 50 acres previously.  The rehabilitation of the land by the department has been supported by partners.

The department initiated a Rangeland Management Bill that awaits Assembly debate and approval. The bill aims to restore the natural resource base for livestock, the main economic stay of the county.

The County Government of Wajir has commissioned the construction and operationalisation of an export abattoir and a modern livestock market. Construction is ongoing, and the Wajir Abattoir and the modern livestock market are expected to be operational in 2019. Additional rehabilitation and construction of livestock markets are being done by partners in Habaswein, Griftu and Bute.

Livestock disease control activities have been ongoing across the county against various diseases. Mass vaccination against SGP, PPR, CCPP, CBPP, RVF and BQ, disease surveillance, implementation of disease control framework, participatory disease mapping and others aimed at disease control have been on-going.

The number of livestock vaccinated has increased. In 2017 alone, more than two million livestock were vaccinated, whereas in 2013, the figure was at a paltry 500,000.

Livestock being a key sub-sector requires massive investment. To this end, the county government has put in place mechanisms to create an enabling environment for partnership with both state and non-state actors in livestock marketing, fodder production, drought mitigation and disease control.

The sub-sector has collaborated with the National Drought Management Authority, Kenya Red Cross Society, State Department of Livestock, Food and Agriculture Organisation and Islamic Relief in drought mitigation and disease control, and Regional Pastoral Livelihoods Resilience Project (RPLRP) and ACDI-VOCA in livestock market infrastructure development.     

Agriculture

The acreage under crop production in Wajir County for both rain-fed and irrigated agriculture increased from 2,940 and 86 acres, to 9,800 and 4,533 acres respectively, using 2013 as the base year.

This is attributed to mechanised land preparation, facilitated by the county’s acquisition of six tractors with ploughs.

More than 15 water pans have been excavated since the inception of devolution, for use in crop farming and by livestock.

The County Government of Wajir hired six more technical officers, making a total of 47 agricultural technical officers available to offer enhanced extension services to agro pastoralists. The number of crop farmers has subsequently grown from 6,000 in 2013 to over 38,000.

The department has acquired two land cruisers, one lorry and 19 motorcycles to enhance mobility of extension officers. Additional two project vehicles have been acquired.

The Agriculture Department is working in partnership with World Food Programme in asset creation through Food for Assets (FFA). The programme has reached 28,000 beneficiaries.

FISHERIES AND ALTERNATIVE LIVELIHOODS

The county plans to invest in fisheries development, as an alternative source of livelihood. Farmers will be trained on fish farming and the government will construct fish ponds for them.

The demand for poultry products and honey is on the rise as Wajir town grows. To meet this growing demand, the government will train farmers on poultry rearing and bee-keeping to boost their income.

Moreover, we will explore the exploitation of natural resources, including gums and resins, Aloe Vera and alternative livelihoods in ensuring that we expand our economy and reduce the number of our people living below the abject poverty line.

The county further plans to construct and operationalise a gum and resin factory at Lanbib with a view of adding value to gum and resin products.

URBAN PLANNING

The County Government of Wajir has embarked fully on the implementation of Wajir town spatial plan to create a well-planned urban centre with adequate services. Other plans are being prepared in line with the County Integrated Development Plan. The plans will guide the development of attractive, environmentally-friendly, inclusive, prosperous, functional, attractive and vibrant towns.

The County Government has surveyed Wajir town to help demarcate plot boundaries, open access roads, ease land administration and registration process for allotment, enhance revenue collection,
control development, enhance service provision and generally spur economic growth and development.

The County Government is also in the process of preparing seven integrated spatial urban development plans for the sub-county headquarters in order to link urban planning with urban infrastructure planning and development, as well as the provision of other vital services at urban centres.

In its effort to provide decent and low cost housing, the county has developed appropriate building technology centres to promote adoption of such technologies and increase access to low cost housing.

Already, seven Appropriate Building Technology Centres (ABTs) have been constructed, and they are contributing to the training of artisans. The County Government further acquired hydraform machines for interlocking brick production.

TRADE AND ENTERPRISE DEVELOPMENT

Revolving Fund Programme

The Wajir County Revolving Fund is one of the most successful projects undertaken by the Trade and Enterprise Department. Established in June 2014, the Fund has changed the lives of many people. The target group for this fund includes youths, women and persons with disabilities, as well as co-operative societies, any business involved in value addition of products and the medium, small and micro enterprises. Loans from the fund are payable within two years, through monthly instalments. The beneficiaries have a three-month grace period before commencement of repayment.

The revolving fund is sharia compliant. The programme has promoted and created self-employment for many people, improved their living standards and enhanced general economic growth. It has also promoted entrepreneurship.

Since inception, the fund has disbursed Ksh127 million to 920 beneficiaries, who further benefit from intensive business management training to refine their skills.

SPORTS

The county government plans to develop sports infrastructure and nurture home-grown talent. Sports is a booming industry and can employ many young people. For this reason, we plan to construct a modern stadium with a fully equipped changing room, VIP toilets, emergency room, media centre and artificial turf.

ROADS

The county government plans to upgrade all roads to motorable standards. This will improve access to markets for livestock and other agricultural products, hence reducing travel time. This will open up cross-county trade.

The county is currently gravelling Elben-Mansa, Wajir-Qahir, Wajir-Kajaja, Shanta Abaq-Boji Yarey, Batalu- Ajawa, Dasheq-Tarbaj, and doing proper maintenance of Habaswein and Eldas town roads.

In achieving value for money, the Department of Roads has started implementing a robust audit mechanism to ensure that all contracted roads in the county are done to internationally accepted standards.

WATER

The county envisions to establish a permanent water supply system through partnership with the Ministry of Water and Irrigation, Northern Water Service Board, WARMA and other water service providers. This will provide a permanent solution to the sanitation and clean water challenges in Wajir town.

The County Government will use satellite technology to locate and detect underground aquifer to enhance borehole efficiencies. We will implement a GIS-based borehole and water-pan efficiency monitoring system to enhance the early warning capabilities of the communities to safeguard against droughts.

The county is currently in the process of constructing mega water pans in Riba, Shimbirey, Ausmudule, Kunjure, Alio Ismail, Gara Kilo, Biyaada, Hungai, Handaki, Boji Garas, and Eldas.

ENERGY AND ENVIRONMENT

The threat of climate change is real, calling for a concerted effort to come up with County Adaptation Plans.

The County Government has already allocated two percent of its development budget to co-financing climate fund, where sustainable projects will be implemented within the Department of Energy and Environment.

Similarly, the county administration will expand and undertake afforestation programmes in all sub-counties and wards.

The County Government will lobby for extension of the national electricity grid to Wajir County and further establish, in partnership with the National Government, closed renewable electric grids in all the wards currently outside the existing electricity networks. The target will be to provide access to electricity for every home within 10 years.

On energy, the County is currently undertaking installation and commissioning of solar streetlights in Wajir town to enable conducive environment for conducting business and subsequently improving security in the town.

In line with the National Contingency Emergency Fund Act, the County Government is in the process of enacting a Wajir Contingency Emergency Fund Act to respond to and mitigate the effects of perennial drought, conflicts and public health emergencies. The target is to achieve elimination of drought emergencies that lead to loss of lives through investment in long-term resilience building measures.

ICT VISION AND ROADMAP

Connected County Government

Development of an integrated ICT network infrastructure

Providing sub-county offices with ICT equipment

Integration of health management systems

Acquisition of project management systems

Revenue collection systems

Implementation of GIS system 

Establishment of integrated data /call centre

Lobbying for the Last-mile connectivity of NOFBI to the sub-county and ward offices

Establishment of incubation hubs/ entrepreneurship centres in the county

Use of e-learning systems

Establishment of citizen satisfaction index systems for online survey

Installing bulk SMS systems and USSDs and social media platforms to link the County Government to the Citizens of Wajir

Initiation of digital literacy programmes to empower youth and create self-sufficiency in ICT skills

Creation of e-citizen portal for information sharing

Installation of surveillance systems

Empowering communities with ICT tools and knowledge for self-organisation and project management

Provision of ICT literacy skills to the youth of Wajir County to enhance ICT knowledge.

TRADE

The county is in the process of restructuring the County Revolving Fund to aggregate funds from the two levels of government to support women and youth with viable business concepts. Further, the CEF will provide special training and mentorship to new business owners benefiting from the fund.

SPECIAL PROGRAMME, RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABLE LIVELIHOOD

The Directorate of Disaster Management will construct disaster preparedness warehouses in the six sub-counties, equipped with prepositioned emergency response kits (medicine, non-food items, food and fire-fighting kits).

The department will train staffs that will manage the warehouses as well as who can respond to disasters.

Wajir County suffered recurrent droughts and Conflicts in the recent years that caused displacements and deaths. The established warehouses at the sub counties will help timely interventions.

Under the Resilience Directorate, the County Government of Wajir will establish Wajir Resilience and Climate Change Institute. The institute will be linked to both local and international universities. It will be the first of it is kind in the country, and it will support learning research and innovation on resilience and climate change.  

GENDER

The County has started the construction of a model GBV rescue centre to improve quality services for GBV survivors to improve psychosocial support, guidance, counselling and treatment of victims.

PUBLIC SERVICE AND HUMAN RESOURCE

The provision of insurance cover to 5000 county employees, automation of human resource registry to ensure safety and security of personal files as well as easy retrieval, will result in enhanced public service.

LANDS

Wajir County is currently undertaking an integrated strategic urban and spatial development planning for Bute, Eldas, Griftu, Hadado, Habaswein, Khorof Harar, and Tarbaj towns.

The county government is also undertaking cadastral survey for three neighbourhoods of Wagberi, Halane and Got-Ade within Wajir town.

HEALTH

Wajir County Department of Health is mandated to provide quality, affordable, equitable, effective and efficient health services. Great strides have been made since the inception of devolution.

Access to health services has been increased through investments in new infrastructure development, rehabilitation of existing structures and initiatives to encourage visits.

The number of operational health facilities has subsequently grown from 75 in 2013 to 115 in 2018.

Thirty eight (38) new dispensaries were constructed, 33 dispensaries operationalised, 52 maternity units constructed/equipped and three theatre facilities equipped and operationalised. Also, 18 new laboratories were established, as well as emergency referral units with 24-hour ambulance services.

These investments have resulted in the reduction of distance to health facilities. They have eased emergency services and increased antenatal care attendance and skilled delivery.

A significant improvement has been achieved in addressing human resource for health gaps, from barely over 200 technical and support staffs at inception of devolution to slightly more than 900 staffs currently, covering improvements across all carders.

From only seven in 2013, Wajir County now has 34 medical officers, including a consultant surgeon, a historical achievement.

The number of nurses has also increased three-fold from 108 in 2013 to 385 presently. Further, the county now has 83 clinical officers from 33 in 2013.

Several technical officers across all carders are attending specialised trainings. They include nine medical officers training in different specialties.

The health docket receives the highest budget allocations, which have been increasing steadily over the years, from 17.4 percent in 2014/2015 to 20.8 percent of the total county budget in the current financial year.

The main challenges remain a growing recurrent expenditures and a shrinking development vote-head. Other challenges include high staff turnover, recurrent industrial action, unplanned settlements, few medical specialist and budget constraints affecting service delivery.             

Theatre and X-ray

The County Government has finished the construction and equipping of a theatre and a modern X-ray centre in Griftu Town of Wajir West Sub-County. This is the first time in the history of this town for its people to enjoy such facilities.

Renal Unit

To help patients with kidney diseases, the County Government will put up a renal unit. This will reduce the costs incurred in obtaining renal services in Nairobi.

Comprehensive Emergency Obstetric and New-born Care

The County Government further plans to establish Emergency Obstetric and New-born Care in every sub-county. This will help reduce the time consumed in referral of mothers to access such services elsewhere.

The County Government will operationalise theatres in all the six sub-counties. This will go a long way in reducing the maternal and neonatal mortality rate.

Ambulance services in every ward

To reduce time for the patients who require emergency referral services, the County Government will secure one ambulance for every ward. This will improve outcomes for patients who will receive timely services.