GOVERNOR OJAAMONG HIGHLIGHTS MAJOR ACCOMPLISHMENT OF HIS 10-YEAR TENURE
Busia Governor, Sospeter Ojaamong on Thursday delivered his last State-of-the County address to the second assembly highlighting the achievement of his government as he prepares to leave office after two five-year-terms mandated by the constitution.
The annual address was delivered before the House Speaker, Hon. Bernard Wamalwa, Members of County Assembly from the 35 wards, the executive and Busia citizenry.
“When I took office at the beginning of my first term in 2013, the County did not have a single plan within which my Government could seek to appropriate public funds. Accordingly, as a first assignment, my Government focused on plans for the County. In a very participatory process, we developed the Busia County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) and other planning documents stated under Section 107 of the County Governments Act to be made,” he said.
He noted that his Government has been consistently recognized and acknowledged not only for having necessary and appropriate policy, legislative and regulatory frameworks in different sectors, but also for prudent management and use of resources.
Accordingly, through the Kenya Devolution Support Program, the World Bank and UNDP, the governor said, have extended financial and other support to the tune of nearly Kshs.1 billion that has funded identified projects and programs.
The governor added that the donor community and UN Agencies have pledged to support a number of policies which are being enacted or implemented including Gender Based Violence, nutrition and disaster recovery among others, which have direct bearing on the youth.
He said his government has in each Financial Year, allocated the Department of Health and Sanitation the lion’s share of the County budget. This has been deliberate and intended to bring health services close to the people and improve their quality.
“My government has equipped and staffed over 70 dispensaries at village level throughout the County so that no patient is more than 3Km from the nearest health facility, 21 of these have been established after 2013. This is in addition to recognizing the Community Health Workers including volunteers by enacting relevant legislation.”
Other achievement include upgrading of health centers throughout the county and appropriately equipped and staffed, established, at least one sub-county hospital in every sub county with doctors and other medical personnel while each sub-county hospital has a theatre, maternity unit and laboratories.
The governor noted that in 2013, Busia County Referral Hospital was dilapidated and collapsing but currently its a modern medical facility serving the entire County and beyond.
He said the hospital boasts of a state of the art modern and well equipped three block accident and emergency unit that is designed to strengthen emergency preparedness and provide effective and efficient medical services to the people of the County and others.
The Unit also houses Casualty Unit, the Intensive Care and High Dependency Units, Renal Unit and oxygen plant. It also accommodates the main hospital administration block, Ultra-Modern 60 bed Maternity and New Born Unit that is expected to play a critical role as a regional maternal health facility and accommodating over 44,000 patients and not less than 6,000 deliveries a year.
“The 100 bed capacity Mother and Child Specialized Hospital Unit that is set to revolutionize health care services in the County and the region. It will have modern CT Scan and Radiology equipment, Sterile Machine for health care and medical waste management,” he added.
He went on; “With support from the World Bank through KDSP, my Government has upgraded the infrastructure and constructed a modern 100 bed Mother and Child Hospital at Alupe Sub-County Hospital to serve an estimated 220,000 population. The facility will also include a modern theatre, nutrition and immunization centers and serve as a regional training institution.”
Under the Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries docket, the governor said his government focused on helping the farmers to do value addition through Agri-processing.
He said through the Department of Trade, his government put in place strategies and mechanisms to help the farmers to access the market.
“My government is focused on farm mechanization that has helped to increase the number of acres ploughed to nearly fifty thousand (50,000) as at 2021, the farmers are able to access mechanized services at highly subsidized costs, diversification of crops, seed improvement and fish cage farming.”
He noted that there are 21 fish markets in Busia county, among them the cross-border fish market in Busia town that handles fish valued at over Kshs 2 Billion annually.
The fish is received from Lakes; Turkana, Victoria, and Kyoga and also from the fish farms within the county. The fish is then transhipped to other parts of Kenya, DR Congo, Uganda, South Sudan and Rwanda.
Under the livestock sector, Governor Ojaamong said his government has supported farmers to improve their herds by adopting cattle keeping with improved breeds through artificial insemination services. To beef up the project, over 1,400 dairy heifers have been distributed to farmer groups to help enhance milk production.
The governor added that his government has procured a water drilling rig that is currently being utilized in drilling new boreholes and rehabilitating many others.
“My government has also purchased 3 water bowsers that are currently used to deliver clean and safe water to the underserved communities especially during emergency periods. There are a number of projects that are underway in the county that will further improve water service delivery in the county.”
Other achievements include employment of 994 ECD teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, construction of over 300 classroom, purchased a total of 40 parcels of land, operationalised Busia municipality while the constitution of Malaba as a municipality is still in progress.
He said his government is also in the process of preparing Nambale town and Port Victoria for elevation to municipal status upon completion of some infrastructural developments.
“We have completed a number of flagship projects rolled-over including Port Victoria, Mundika, Moding, Muruka and Nambale markets . Other projects expected to be undertaken and completed this Financial Year are the gate at Mundika Market, construction and completion of market shades at Siwongo, Kisoko and Bukadanyi among others.”
Under the infrastructure and Energy docket, the governor said his government has laid out elaborate programmes for upgrading roads to bitumen standards in a bid to improve the face of the Municipalities and other upcoming urban centres across the county.
“In the last financial year, we tarmacked roads at Funyula, Bumala and Adungosi markets. We also constructed an access road leading to Matayos Health Centre.”
This financial year, roads earmacked for tarmacking include; Khunyangu Hospital access road, Nambale market loop, Lukolis market loop, Kocholia market loop and Adungosi market – Police station road.
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