News

THE DEPARTMENT OF ROADS, PUBLIC WORKS REVIVES MATERIAL TESTING
EQUIPMENT AT WEBUYE OFFICE

To enhance better service delivery, quality work and efficiency, Bungoma County roads,
infrastructure and public works department has embarked on reviving material testing equipment
at Webuye Office.

Speaking during the inspection of its revamping, Public Works CECM Bonventure Chengeck
stated that its revival would help reduce the cost for those who have been seeking such services
from the National Government.

The department has further revamped the public works offices and is in the process of equipping
it with furniture to improve its operability.

Through the efforts of Governor Kenneth Lusaka, the department has managed to bring its
services closer to the residents unlike in the last regime which relied solely on the National
Government equipment for material testing for two years.

The CECM also expressed his gratitude to the Governor for the full support he has offered
towards ensuring the apparatus is used for the intended purpose.

All contractors across the county will be able to test the materials to ensure quality work is
undertaken in all given assignments.

The department pledged to purchase more machines to fast track the testing materials to make
road construction work easier as well as purchase of safety boots, lab coats, other needed safety
equipment and securing the place.

STATE OF THE COUNTY ADDRESS BY GOVERNOR KENNETH LUSAKA.

Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka has delivered his State of the County Address at Bungoma
County Assembly.

In his address, the Governor Lusaka thanked the speaker and MCAs for supporting his
Administration with the approval of the CEC Members and the passage of his first
supplementary budget for the financial year 2022/2023 which according to him enabled the
implementation of development programs to take off.

Governor highlighted his transformative agenda in Agriculture with a focus on increasing input
to positively influence the output bordering on value addition, agro processing and boosting
household food resilience throughout the County.

He announced the launch and the distribution of Seed and Fertilizer subsidy to the selected
farmers beginning Monday, February 27th beginning with the lowland areas of Bumula Sub
County and proceeding to all the other sub counties in a rapid exercise that will take one week.

“Despite the tough budgetary constraints, your support to pass the supplementary budget enabled
me to increase the number of subsidy beneficiaries from 200 households per ward to 500
households per Ward in this closing financial year” said Lusaka
According to Lusaka, the county will now have a total of of 21,900 households benefiting from
the program which is a very significant increase from the 9000 households that benefited
previously.

Each benefiting household qualifies for only One acre supply which will comprise of one 50Kg
bag of planting fertilizer, one 50kg bag of top-dressing fertilizer, and one10kg bag of certified
Seed.

In order to enhance and meet the production demand of the chwele slaughter house, Lusaka said
his administration intends to launch the operation ‘fuga kuku’ campaign to rally rural households
across the County to rare chicken for commercial purposes.

In Education, Lusaka stated that the streamlining process of the Scholarship process is almost
complete. Of the total 8397 students from Cohort 5, the eligible beneficiaries sustained on the
program were 5668 after the vetting process while 2729 were ineligible after vetting.

He however acknowledged having received several appeal cases that the scholarship team is still
reviewing for a way forward.In line with the guidelines set out in the Bungoma County
Education Support Scheme, the county Government has began aligning the allocation to the
Bursary scheme vis a vi the scholarship program for compliance purposes.

REORGANIZATION OF BUNGOMA TOWN TOP PRIORITY .
The Ministry of Lands, Urban, Physical Planning, Housing and Municipalities has reaffirmed
their commitment to achieving a clean and organized Bungoma through the ongoing
reogarnization process.

This was stated today by the Urban & Physical Planning CECM Douglas Sasita when he held a
follow up meeting with the leadership of bodaboda drawn from Kanduyi Subcounty at KIE
regarding the ongoing reorganization of the Bungoma town.

CECM Douglas Sasita thanked the bungoma businesspeople who headed to the call of relocating
from the road reserve promising to give them a place soon when the modern stalls are
constructed for them to carry out their business.

“To the people who relocated from the road reserves, we shall give them a space at the modern
stalls to be constructed soon. I urge them to be patient, we won’t forget them,” said CECM
Sasita.

Housing and Municipalities Chief Officer Denson Barasa urged the bodaboda operators to
register in numbers to enable them get access to services they deserve.

“Kindly register to get access to some services. Apply for trade loans as soon as they are
launched by the Governor Kenneth Lusaka to boost your businesses,” said CO Denson.

He further stated that the Department of Energy would continue with the ongoing repairs of the
street lights as well as new installations to ensure they are safe when doing their businesses even
at night.

The meeting was also attended by the Watu Credit Bungoma office representatives who
responded to the issues raised by their clients bodaboda operators.

LIVING GOODS, COUNTY GOVERNMENT SEEK PARTNERSHIP IN FACILITATING
DIGITIZATION OF CHVs.

The LivingGoods organization and Bungoma County Ministry of Health has rolled out plans for
a possible partnership in facilitating the digitization of Community Health Volunteers.

Speaking at the Ministry of Health headquarters in Bungoma town on Thursday, LivingGoods
County Rollout Manager, Delphine Kerubo stated that through the training and offering of smart
phones, CHVs will help in disseminating health information especially on maternal healthcare
very fast.

In a meeting also attended by Bungoma Health Department’s partnership and liaison officer, Mr.
Simon Simiyu and the Community Strategy Focal Person, Mr. Tobias Makunja, Kerubo affirmed
that LivingGoods will offer Technical Assistance (TA) and co-funding the project.

“We rolled this partnership in Kisumu and Isiolo counties in 2021 and we hope that Bungoma
County will also accept to partner with us in facilitating the digitization of CHVs to improve on
maternal health care in the grassroot,” she said.

Simiyu lauded LivingGoods for identifying Bungoma County has one of the counties to benefit
from its partnership adding that if implemented, the partnership will benefit 3,540 CHVs.

BUNGOMA TO SET UP AN INDUSTRIAL AND AGGREGATION PARK.

Bungoma county is set to put up an industrial park following a 100 million grant by the national
government, Governor Lusaka said.

The Governor stated that Bungoma intends to become one of the pioneer counties to benefit from
the 100 million allocated for the construction of the Industrial and Aggregation Parks by the
National Government.

“As a county, we intend to become one of the pioneer counties to benefit with 100 Million
allocated for Industrial and aggregation parks for counties by the National government,” stated
Governor Lusaka.

He further said his government is ready to actualise the dream of having the first ever industrial
park in Bungoma saying it will guarantee direct sale of raw and processed goods to local and
international markets through a network of international logistics companies.

“We are ready to actualise the dream of having the first ever industrial park in Bungoma. This
will guarantee direct sale of our raw and processed goods to local and international markets
through a network of international logistics companies,” he added.

The county chief also said his administration intends to set up an Agro-processing and value
addition cottage industries in county to help spur local economic growth and create employment
to our ever growing population.

Lusaka thanked the Kenya Industrial Research and Development Institute (KIRD) whose core
mandate is to undertake research, development and innovation in industrial technologies for
agreeing to work with his government towards achieving course.

Tatu City is a good model of how County Governments can set up mixed-use industrial parks as
Special Economic Zones.