We have done well despite challenges, Kihika tells MCAs

Governor Susan Kihika addresses the County Assembly of Nakuru at the Assembly chambers in her first State of the County Address on February 21, 2024. [Daniel Chege, Standard]

Nakuru Governor Susan Kihika has given her administration a fair scorecard for her first year in office.

Kihika, who took over on August 25, 2022, addressed the County Assembly of Nakuru for the first time on Wednesday afternoon.

Outlining her government's scorecard, Kihika said despite ascending to power at a time of great economic uncertainty, her government weathered the challenges to pose a fair performance.

"Mr Speaker, understandably, we have had our share of missteps and misses; lessons learned from this have helped my administration to take timely and corrective measures," said Kihika.

Kihika said her government has transformed the health sector and ensured accessible, efficient, affordable, and high-quality services, despite a huge influx of patients from neighbouring counties.

"We have completed the outpatient wing at Nakuru Teaching and Referral Hospital for Sh780 million," she said

The county, Kihika said, refurbished the Kabazi level 4 hospital for Sh15.5 million and installed a Sh6 million x-ray machine at Bahati Sub County Hospital.

On infrastructure, Kihika told the Assembly that with the support of the MCAs, the county has completed 248 road projects; 6.9 km of tarmacked, 432 km of road grading, and 209 km of gravel.

"We have constructed several culverts, gabions, and bridges, maintained 116.2 km of drainage, and constructed additional networks," she said.

Kihika, however, expressed concerns over the shortage of clean and safe water and said in the year 2022/2023, her administration did 196 projects which included drilling 27 boreholes, electrifying 24 boreholes, rehabilitation of water springs and pans, and expansion of water pipelines.

"We have mitigated climate change by developing the Nakuru County Climate Action Plan 2023 and set up and train climate change planning committees in all the 55 wards," she said.

The county also embarked on planting over 450,000 trees, improved waste disposal sites, and greening of selected sites.

Kihika said the county developed a Land Management System and an Electronic Development Application System (EDAMS) to increase the county's revenue and reduce human interface in the approval process.