Kiambu Governor Kimani Wamatangi has identified health, agriculture, education, infrastructure, and the provision of water as his primary areas of focus during his one year in office.
Speaking at the Jamhuri Day celebrations held at Kirigiti Stadium, Wamatangi said he has established a solid foundation for his flagship projects, preparing for a proper takeoff.
The celebrations, presided over by Kiambu County Commissioner Joshua Nkanatha, provided an opportunity for Wamatangi to highlight the progress of his administration. He said development projects have been initiated across all 10 departments in the county.
A significant achievement he emphasised was the launch of the Universal Healthcare Programme, which has enrolled approximately 400,000 residents in an accessible and affordable health plan.
Wamatangi said the expanded coverage by the National Hospital Insurance Fund (NHIF) includes chronic ailments and offers a Last Expense Cover providing Sh100,000 to the family of a deceased individual to assist with funeral expenses.
"By launching the 'Kiambu Afya' plan, we are proud to support President William Ruto's vision of affordable and accessible healthcare, a vital component of the Bottom-up Transformation Agenda," said the governor.
Regarding the financial status of the county, the governor said his administration has successfully settled a significant portion of the Sh7 billion in pending bills inherited from previous regimes.
"We have devised a clear roadmap to eliminate the remaining debt. The county government entered the 2023/2024 financial year with a clean slate, devoid of any outstanding bills related to works completed or goods and services provided during the 2022/2023 Financial Year," said Wamatangi.
In terms of water provision to residents, Wamatangi said his government has successfully procured and installed more than 100km of network pipes to supply water to residents across the county.
"Our goal in the first phase of the project is to establish more than 5,000 water connections, ensuring this precious commodity reaches over 10,000 households spread across Kiambu county," said the governor.
In the agriculture sector, the county boss said the county government has been distributing essential farm input, including maize seeds, fertiliser, and avocado seedlings, to farmers across Kiambu.
"In addition, we have initiated a social empowerment programme for our women, where we provide them with one-month-old kienyeji chicks. This programme goes beyond the mere distribution of chicks; it aims to provide empowerment, entrepreneurship, and economic transformation," said the governor.
Concerning education, Wamatangi said in a year, his government has commissioned the construction of 180 modern Early Childhood Development Education (ECDE) centres.
In Ndeiya sub-county in Kiambu, the celebrations were led by James Wambua, the assistant county commissioner. Insecurity took centre stage, with Wambua warning that the government would pursue the criminals.
"I know this area is hard-hit by transformer theft. Even as the government works to break the cartel that is stealing transformers, I call upon the public to be on the lookout and report any suspicious characters.
"If electricity goes off at night, let us be cautious and go out to see what is happening so that if it's thieves, we can easily report for action," Wambua said.
He added that guarding critical infrastructure should be a collective responsibility as it benefits the general public.
"The chiefs should have a small sub-county to check on this growing menace of transformer theft," Wambua added.
