annual report by vihiga governor h. e. rev moses akaranga to the county assembly on february 17th...
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BELOW IS THE ANNUAL REPORT BY VIHIGA GOVERNOR MOSES AKARANGA TO THE COUNTY ASSEMBLY ON FEBRUARY 17TH 2014TRANSCRIPT
REPUBLIC OF KENYA
OFFICE OF THE GOVERNOR
VIHIGA COUNTY
ANNUAL REPORT BY VIHIGA GOVERNOR
H. E. REV MOSES AKARANGA TO THE
COUNTY ASSEMBLY ON FEBRUARY 17TH
2014
MR. SPEAKER
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Honorable Members of the County Assembly,
Ladies and Gentlemen, Good morning,
Pursuant to the elections held in March 2013, when I was elected the
Governor of Vihiga County I was sworn in on 27th March and I assumed the
functions of my office as the Governor under section 30 of the County
Government Act immediately. Considering that the County comprises of two
arms namely the County executive and the County Assembly, I would not as
Governor have assumed the full functions of the County Government without
an operational County Government in place. You recall as honorable
members of the County Assembly, the County Assembly would not be
operational without the Speaker. So some reasonable amount of time was
spent by the transitional authorities in putting place mechanisms for the
operationlization of the County Assembly. I had the honor of attending both
the election and swearing in of the Speaker.
MR. SPEAKER: You recall that even after your election, this being a natural
process of devolution, you had to spent some time consulting and learning
the functions of devolution at a time when there was no standing orders that
would guide this house in conducting its business. It is in the knowledge of
everyone that valuable amount of time was also spent by the County
assembly in gaining ground to effectively discharge its statutory functions.
MR. SPEAKER: As the Governor, I shall say that immediately I was sure that
the two arms of the County Government were in place, it became my duty to
embark on the programs of the County Government. At this juncture, I now
wish to bring to your attention, the following information which constitutes
my report for the period under review.
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Mr. SPEAKER: In recognition of the importance of the County Assembly as
the Arm of the County Government, I want to address myself first to the role
of the County Assembly with regard to the discharge of the County
Government for the period under review. On the positive side having
previously congratulated each one of you firstly for your election to your
respective positions, and having expressed my confidence in your ability to
discharge your respective duties in this Assembly I wish to state that during
the period the Assembly has been very resourceful in the following areas;
The names of the nominees for the County Executive Committee and
the County Public Service Board were forwarded to this assembly and
approved without any misunderstanding as has been evident
elsewhere in the Country. That was the first score on the part of the
assembly towards effective discharge of the functions of devolution.
Recently, with your cooperation, dedicated desire for implementation
of the functions of devolution and the good leadership of the Speaker,
you approved the names of the Chief Officers which process was long
overdue considering that these are the Accounting Officers and
engines of any government in the implementation of its programmes.
This House also approved the Budget for the Financial Year 2013/14
In appreciation of the legislative role of the County Assembly, I wish to
inform the Assembly a total of three Bills were passed by this assembly
namely The Appropriation Bill, The County Assembly Service Bill and
The Finance Bill. However, the following Bills are ready and will be
forwarded to this Assembly shortly; Education Fund Bill, Natural
Resources Exploitation and Community Empowerment Bill,
Environment Bill, Water Bill, Ward Development Bill, Feeding Program
Bill, Vihiga County Symbols Bill and Vihiga County Community
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Empowerment Bill. In addition, the Vihiga County Government
(Devolved Units) Administration Bill, 2014 and Vihiga Liquor and
Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill are ready for the public participation.
MR. SPEAKER: I now wish to address the house on what I as the Governor
and the County Executive have achieved so far. To enable the County
Assembly function effectively and efficiently we acquired and supplied each
Member of this House with a Lap Top which I trust has greatly improved your
digital operations. On the County Assembly Infrastructure, my Government
has provided funds for the refurbishment of the County Assembly which is
ongoing. In order to streamline the operations of the County between the
two arms the assembly enjoys a separate imprest account to manage their
operations.
MR. SPEAKER: With regard to the discharge of other functions devolved to
the County I wish to inform the assembly of the following;
7: Transport and Infrastructure
Over the period under review, the Department of Transport and
Infrastructure graveled and graded a total of 75 Km of our roads at a cost of
Ksh.148, 576,044.79 while 9 Bridges and Box Culverts cost a total of Ksh.
49,091,278.27. These works were spread across all the Sub-Counties as
shown on the detailed Annex 1.
When I took over as the Governor, most street lights in the major towns in
the County were not functional. So far the lights have been restored in our
satellite towns as shown on Annex 2.
I am pleased to advice that the construction of the County Headquarters is
almost complete and the occupation is likely to be in April this year. So far
my Government has spent Kshs.40million.
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Mr. Speaker; The County Government has purchased five vehicles as
detailed in Annex 3. We are in the process of purchasing two more vehicles,
Water Bowser, Dozer, Roller, Excavator and Shovel for the county
Government use during this financial year. We have included this in the
Supplementary Budget for your approval.
Department of Trade, Industrialization and Tourism: As you may be
aware, our people have the natural fear of taking commercial loans because
of the high interest rates and other related bank charges. Therefore I am
proposing to introduce a bill to this house which will address some of these
fears. This bill will enable the County Government to give soft loans to
Women (mama mboga), Youth, persons living with disabilities and the Boda
boda operators.
MR. SPEAKER: For promotion of Local Tourism my government hosted two
activities; Miss tourism Vihiga and The Festival on the Maragoli Hills. The
Miss Tourism Kenya (Vihiga Edition) saw Miss Hanifa Tale represent our
County at the Miss Tourism National finals competitions held in Mombasa on
20th December, 2013. She emerged 5th overall and was awarded The Global
Peace Ambassador Award-Kenya. As a result of this event, we expect to see
increased flow of tourists into the County which will boost our economy.
Towards that end, my Government has identified Maragoli Hills, The Tiriki
Shrines, Mungoma Caves, The Cultural activities of the Terik, the Rain
Makers of Bunyore, Kaimosi Forest amongst others for promotion as tourist
attraction sites as we prepare to host Miss Tourism Kenya Event for 2014. My
Office is working very closely with the Miss Tourism Kenya Committee to
effect this event.
MR SPEAKER: Maragoli Hills Festival held on the eve of 2014 was a success
event in terms of tourism attraction. The few Members of this Assembly who
accompanied us to the hills may testify to this report. Proposals have
started flocking in with the interest of putting up a five star Hotel. If these
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investments come in, the lives of the people who live around these Hills will
greatly change.
MR. SPEAKER: With regard to the incomplete markets, there were no
budgetary provisions in the period under review as these projects fall under
the Economic Stimulus Program. However, because of the urgent need to
complete the markets my Government is considering including some
allocation in the supplementary budget as some of them (markets) are
posing security risk to our people. I am happy to mention that my
Government has opened Mwibona Livestock Market and it is now operational.
MR. SPEAKER: In the area of Education, the first priority of my Government
was to address the issue of ECD Teachers, Financial assistance for promotion
of education in the County and School feeding program to alleviate the
suffering of our children. For the ECD Teachers the requisite legislation is
being prepared to implement the recruitment of the Teachers. As a means of
improving the standard and quality of our education, My County Government
had planned to construct 35 ECD Class rooms across the County. Currently
we have identified 14 ECD classrooms and the process of identification,
facilitation and implementation for the other 21 ECD classrooms is ongoing.
For School feeding program the legal framework for the implementation of
the program is ready and will be rolled out for the public participation shortly
after which it will be forwarded to this assembly for the necessary approval.
Once passed, the Education Fund Bill will see The Bursary Fund managed at
the Ward Level. I also encourage the members of the County Assembly to
actively participate in the selection of the deserving students in their
respective wards. Financial assistance for promotion of education in the
County, a sectional paper has been prepared and once approved by this
house implementation will follow immediately since funds had been allocated
for this earlier.
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MR. SPEAKER: Although University Education is not a devolved function,
the County Government has taken necessary steps towards the
establishment of a University at Kaimosi which will be operational beginning
September 2014 despite the challenges from many quarters.
With regard to Village Polytechnics, my Government financed the acquisition
of examination equipment for 700 youth polytechnic trainees. My
Government has put mechanisms in place to identify appropriate partners to
improve the status of our Village Polytechnics.
MR. SPEAKER
Although not a function of my government, we had well wishers who came in
handy to help our needy children. The John Madete Foundation awarded 9
scholarships to some of our children who got admission to National Schools.
The Foundation distributed the scholarships as follows; Emuhay-1, Lunda-1,
Vihiga-4, Hamisi-2 and Sabatia-1. Cooperative Bank of Kenya gave
Scholarship to 5 Class eight pupils who joined National Schools. Let me take
this opportunity to congratulate our Primary Schools teachers for giving us
good performance in the last year’s Kenya Certificate of Primary Education
(KCPE) results. Our County emerged position 13th out of the 47 Counties with
a County Mean Score of 262. My County Government will work closely with
our Primary School Administration to help them improve further their
performance.
MR. SPEAKER: In developing the ICT Strategy for Economic Growth, the
County government recognizes the broad challenges involved in living in an
information age and knowledge economy, and in harnessing the potential of
ICTs for economic growth and poverty reduction. Faced with these realities,
the County Government has put in place a strategy based on four Guiding
Principles, namely: Infrastructure Development, Human Resource
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Development, Stakeholder Participation and Appropriate Policy and
Regulatory Framework. In the area of Home care centers, Home craft
Centers and other centers for the care of children with special needs, my
Government is working on the necessary legislation which are required for
these functions to be fully implemented.
In order to improve Academic Standards and Examination results in the
County, the County Government has held Consultative Meetings with
Principles of Secondary Schools, KEPPET, KNUT and other stakeholders. My
Government has agreed to sponsor KCPE Mock.
3: Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperatives
I committed my County Government to address the perennial food shortage
in Vihiga County.
In the area of Agriculture My Government encountered a setback when the
relevant County Executive Committee member got involved in a Road
Accident resulting in his hospitalization. Despite this, the department made
achievements; two exhibitions aimed at improving farmers’ skills were
carried out, one at Kidundu and the other at the Municipal Grounds. The
department redeployment 35 extension officers into the 25 wards to provide
technical support, among other things.
My Government has put in measures to complete the stalled Luanda Abattoir
at a cost of Ksh. 29,490,000 and is expected to be completed by May, 2014.
MR. SPEAKER: We have also procured 50,000 Tissue Culture Banana
Plantlets to promote Banana Farming in County. Mechanisms to ensure that
the project is spread across the entire County are being worked on by the
technical team. Honorable members, we need to lead by example in the
Tissue Culture husbandry. In this regard, I want to encourage you to
participate in this program by planting the tissue culture bananas.
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MR. SPEAKER
Mudete Tea Factory being the only Industrial unit in the county is currently
operating below 40% capacity. Despite this, farmers earned over Ksh. 800
Million last year. To increase the capacity my Government has instructed the
department of Agriculture to make arrangements and reach out to farmers in
the County with a view of increasing the number of tea bushes. Honorable
members my Government is aware of the challenges in the tea industry,
especially when it comes to late collection of the farmers’ tea leaves at the
buying centers. My Government is going to take an active role to ensure
that farmers are not disadvantaged in any way.
MR. SPEAKER: In the area of Livestock Production, my Government is
progressively implementing the Dairy Goats, Rabbit, Piggery and Fish
Farming projects as budgeted for. An adequate report will be made when the
projects are commissioned.
MR. SPEAKER: My Government submitted a proposal to the Bill and Melda
Gates Foundation for the promotion of Horticultural activities in the County
and I am pleased to inform the House that the proposal was accepted and
funding of the same will be done at a cost of US $ 120 Million.
Honorable Members, you are aware that this is a planting season and
farmers are anxious about farm inputs. In order to address this I propose to
set aside Ks 20 Million under the supplementary budget to subsidize these
farm inputs on the part of the farmers.
MR. SPEAKER: Ministry of Health: I can happily report that my
Government opened the first Kenya Medical Training College at the Mbale
Provincial Rural Health Training Centre in the County. The College admitted
the first group of 50 students in October 2013 with the second admission
scheduled for March 2014. Mr. Speaker, 50% of the pioneer students were
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sons and daughters of this County and we have been assured that this
county will always benefit by the same percentage for all future intakes.
MR. SPEAKER: The Health Department conducted successful programs
such as; the polio campaigns, Malezi Bora campaign, The Jigger Campaign
and House Hold Water Treatment Promotion and Open Defecation Free
Zones (ODF) Program across the County.
MR. SPEAKER
To ensure that we have reliable drug provisions in all our health facilities, the
department has procured adequate medicines which will be supplied to all
health institutions. Similarly, the Department has procured three
Ambulances for the County.
MR. SPEAKER: It is important to note that during the strike, the County
Health Sector was severely affected. However, My Government swiftly
moved to contain the situation through consultations with the affected health
workers and the situation was brought to normalcy. I thank the Speaker and
all Honorable Members who joined me in engaging the health workers in
different capacities to ensure that patients were attended to during the
period of the strike.
Mr. Speaker, Let me now turn to the Department of Environment,
Water and Natural Resources:
Environment: The department conducted a Clean-up exercise of all the
major urban centers in the County and I thank the Members of the Country
Assembly who participated in this exercise. Honorable Speaker during the
Governors’ council the President of Rwanda, H.E. Paul Kagame in his Key
note Speech posed a question whether it was really necessary to invite
investors to come in and help us clean up our towns. He advised that in
Rwanda, they have a law that requires all citizens to participate in a cleanup
exercise once per month. In this regard, my Government proposes to bring a
similar legislation for Vihiga County to take care of our environment.
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Mr. Speaker, to head start this process we have commenced the
construction of Eco-Toilets in the major Urban Centers in the County.
Forestry: I wish to inform the house that my Government was involved in
the rehabilitation of Emabungo Hills by planting 8,000 indigenous trees.
Whilst we encourage our people to plant indigenous trees we are
experiencing challenges with the management of forests that have been
under the care of the Kenya Forest Services. For example Kibiri Forest where
destruction took place and my effort to curb the destruction was met with
resistance since the Kenya Forest Reserve was not devolved. I am still
consulting on the best way to protect our forests.
Water: My Government has taken corrective measures to rehabilitate the
following Water Schemes; Sosian, Bumbo/Shamakhokho, Mbale Water
Scheme, Mang’ong’o, Mbihi, Chango, Esirulo Water Project, Luanda Town up
to Mwivona , Mabungo Phase II and Chebsaga. At this juncture I wish to
observe that several water supply lines were damaged by the contractor who
is working on the Kisumu-Kakamega Road resulting in water disconnection to
several places including Chavakali Market. Through the relevant department,
my Government has approached the Road contactor to restore the damaged
water lines.
My Government has had to pay heavy electricity Bills which were inherited
from the Amatsi Water Company which was the agency involved with water
and sanitation in the County.
MR. SPEAKER: Department of Land, Housing and Urban Planning
So far this department has conducted training on Strategic Planning, a
Visioning Workshop for the County Spatial Integrated Development Plan and
the Integrated Strategic Urban Development Plan.
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MR. SPEAKER: The County Integrated Development Plan was submitted to
this house on 3oth September 2013 for your consideration and necessary
action and we are still awaiting for your approval. Having said this, I would
like to digress and mention something on land.
MR. SPEAKER: There is scarcity of land for development in the county; this
has necessitated my Government to source for land for development. In this
regard, we have identified some parcels of land that we intend to purchase
this financial year. Housing is also a major issue in the County and therefore
we are in the process of taking over the Houses that belong to the devolved
Government to enhance revenue collection.
MR. SPEAKER: Department of Gender, Youth, Culture and Sports
Culture: The department held the County Music and Cultural Festival, Choir
Masters Workshop, Traditional Dancers Exhibition, the National Music and
Cultural Festival, Maragoli Cultural Festival and Exhibition and the Tiriki
Cultural Festival and Exhibition.
Sports and Youth: In the area of Sports, my Government has agreed to
sponsor Vihiga United Football Club which is currently playing in FKF division
one league and it is under Mr. Edward Manoa as its head coach.
My Government sponsored cross country competition and the top five
winners represented us at the National Championship in Nairobi.
Other sports activities that my Government successively sponsored include;
Volleyball, Cricket, Netball, Soccer for women, etc
In order to encourage Children participation in governance and legislative
process, my Government organized a forum for the Children at Bishop Stam
where the Assembly of Children took part in the election of their shadow
Governor and Speaker.
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MR. SPEAKER: With respect to the marginalized groups, my Government
has put measures in place to address their interests. During the period under
review I hosted a conference of persons living with disabilities at the County
Headquarters. The conference was meant to collect views on best ways to
address their issues. My Government sponsored Naomi Esiaba to attend an
international conference and from this attendance, the County will benefit
from the construction of two eco toilets.
Department of Public Service and Administration
MR: SPEAKER: You are aware that one of the first functions I performed
upon assuming office was to appoint both members of the executive and the
County Public Service Board. I can mention that the Board has already
recruited 10 Chief Officers whose names I forwarded to this house for vetting
as required by the law. Other officers recruited by this board were 5 Sub
County Administrators and their Deputies, 25 Ward Administrators and two
Directors; one in Human Resource and another one for Information
Communication Technology (ICT) who are currently undergoing induction in
readiness to assume office. We are proud that we are among the first County
Government to appoint Administrators up to the Ward level.
In order to complete the structure of Administration of the devolved units
leading to the appointment of Village Administrators, Village Elders, My
Government has finalized the Bill on Devolved units as earlier mentioned in
this report which will soon come to this assembly for enactment into law.
My Government is aware of the confusion in licensing of Alcoholic Drinks by
reason of lack of appropriate Legislation. In line with what I had already
mentioned, the Liquor and Alcoholic Drinks Control Bill is ready for public
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participation in the next two weeks. However there is no vacuum as the
National Legislation is still in place.
MR. SPEAKER: As you are aware the issue of security is paramount and a
concern for everyone. Despite isolated cases of reported criminal incidences,
we have not encountered major security risks during the period under
review. Our Security agencies in the county have been able to contain the
situation and have regularly briefed me. To beef up security in the County,
My Government has procured 100 metal Detectors to be used by security
personnel in their operations. The Ministry is also liaising with the National
Government to implement and supervise the Nyumba-Kumi initiative as a
measure of Community Policing.
MR. SPEAKER: I would like to mention that my Government jointly with the
County Public Service Board undertook various Training Programs to build
the Capacity of the Executive and the County Assembly personnel. Some of
the training programs included the training of County Executive and the
Board in Eldoret, Nakuru and Kisumu and the County Integrated
Development Plan Training held in Eldoret, Team Building Training that
jointly brought together the County Executive and the Assembly in Nakuru.
Mr. Speaker, dissemination of information to our people is vital as it will
enable them understand the operations of both the County Government and
the Assembly. In this regard my administration has come up with the County
News Paper namely Vihiga Star which is a weekly publication. The price of
this paper is only Kshs.40/. We also have a website-www.vihiga-
government.com and Face book page; Vihiga county government.
MR. SPEAKER: Finance and Planning
Finance and Economic Planning plays a key role in mobilizing, allocating and
facilitating various departments to implement their respective programs. In
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this regard, my Government has put in place the following committees; The
Budget Committee, County Integrated Development Steering Committee, the
Procurement Committee and the Finance Management Committee. The
Department concerned spearheaded the preparation of the County
Integrated Development Plan (CIDP).
However, the department of Finance has encountered major challenges
occasioned by the late release of funds by the National Treasury. The poor
connectivity at the County Headquarters compels our officers to work from
Kisumu to access funds in our account at the Central Bank of Kenya for
purposes of processing transaction including payments. All these challenges
relate to the Integrated Finance Management System (IFMIS) and the G-Pay
System. The implementation of the IPPD System where our salaries have to
be processed through a common payroll causes another challenge.
To address these, my Government has worked very closely with the National
Government to train County Government Officers on IFMIS and G-Pay to
enable them respond effectively to these challenges.
MR. SPEAKER
11: Foreign Business Trips to America and Germany
In an effort to address domestic challenges and accompanying significant
weaknesses in infrastructural capacity and inadequate levels of investments,
I made two foreign trips.
In the United States of America trip between 22nd of Agust-3rd of
September, 2013
i. The World International Medical Relief have donated Modern Medical
Equipments which will be arriving in the County at any moment.
ii. We established contact with the United States Trade Development
Agency (USTDA). The Agency is exploring solutions for the Kaimosi Mini
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Hydro and Water Project with a view to generating Hydro Electric
Power and water Supply.
iii. African Trade and Expo Link Officials and other Potential investors are
working closely with the “Friends of Vihiga” in America to explore
possibilities of working with our Vihiga County.
iv. The Friends of Vihiga in America are making follow ups on various
possibilities such as the establishment of a County Civic Centre,
Promotion of the “Adopt a School” Program.
v. The City of Claremont’s Mayor, Mr. Opanyi K. Nasiali who is a Vihiga
County resident promised to “Adopt a School” of his choice at an
opportune time.
I am happy to inform you that The American Friends of Vihiga were in the
County recently to make a follow up on Sports Promotion in the County.
Through Friends of Vihiga, we are self-assured to secure the Rights to host
Amateur Boxing Bout in September this year. We have also allocated them
land on which they plan to set up a tennis court and are ready to construct a
cricket and football stadium if land is availed to them.
Germany Trip
i. The Frankfurt Chamber of Commerce is working on a program aimed at
assisting Vihiga County to develop its training programs for Vocational
institutions in various disciplines; Masonry, Mechanical Engineering,
Carpentry, ICT, Plumbing, Building and Construction and Electrical
Engineering. The Chief executive of the Chamber will be coming to
Vihiga County in early March this year to discuss in detail how this will
be implemented.
ii. Vihiga County has been granted 12 scholarships for students with a
strong inclination in Engineering at the Wildau University in Germany.
We have identified the students to benefit from this program. They
come across the entire county.
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iii. Wildau University also agreed to enter into a partnership with Kaimosi
Friends University to institute Engineering Programs towards an
orientation that will tailor the Institution’s curriculum to provide
Practical skills as a departure from theory to practice. In this
connection, the President of Wildau University President will also be
arriving in the County in March, 2014 to finalize our mutual agreement
on this.
iv. On 1st of February, 2014 the German Chamber of Commerce officials
visited the County to make a follow up of their earlier visit. The
delegation consisted of Chairperson of the Tourism Business
Administration Committee, Head of the Investment Bankers Committee
and the Chamber of Commerce Board Member of Berlin. They will be
making a report on specific areas of investment based on their
assessment of the County.
Mr. Speaker, let me touch something on Ward Visits; As part of my
responsibilities, I have visited almost all the Wards with the aim of assessing
the status of development project on the ground and listening to the voices
of the Vihiga people. This has helped me understand the needs of our people
better for the best service delivery as enshrined in the constitution.
Other Issues; MR. SPEAKER: During the period under review, I
successfully negotiated with the judiciary for the construction of a high court.
Due to scarcity of land at the County Headquarters, we have had to look for
land in Hamisi Sub County where Land is still available for the Construction
of the High Court. The Construction will commence any time as soon as the
funds are released by the Judiciary.
MR. SPEAKER: In Conclusion, I feel it is imperative to point to this assembly
that the implementation of devolution has had its share of challenges.
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Our County Roads have been extensively encroached by neighboring land
owners who are not willing to accommodate expansion thereby hindering
expansion and improvement. As my Government faces the challenges of
devolution, I will always turn to the County Assembly for support and
cooperation in accordance with our constitution and the other laws
governing devolution. Let me not lose sight of the support you have given
me during the period under review and I urge the Assembly members to
maintain the same spirit of cooperation.
Thank you Mr. Speaker
Thank you the honorable members of this Assembly
MAY GOD BLESS YOU.
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