Kshs. 10 million set aside to purchase food in Nyeri

Boost against Covid-19 as KBL donates sanitizers

Kirichu Ria Johnie bridge to be re-constructedPage 5

The County Government of Nyeri has set aside Kshs. 10 Million which will be used to purchase food for vulnerable people as government steps fi ght against Coronavirus pandemic.

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Exclusive interview with Performance Administrator Cyrus NjigeThe Performance Management Unit/ Governor’s Service Delivery Unit is under the Governor’s Offi ce. The unit closely monitors and reports on programs and projects progress in development plans.

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Inspection of relocation of Chaka market traders

PHOTO | PETER WANGARI

DirectorCarol Nderi

Chief-EditorJoseph Wambugu

Sub-EditorNjambi Mugo

Graphic DesignerKenneth Ngatia

Kshs. 10 million set aside to purchase food in Nyeri

The County Government of Nyeri has set aside Kshs. 10 Million which will be used to purchase

food for vulnerable people as govern-ment steps fi ght against Coronavirus pandemic.H.E Governor Mutahi Kahiga said as the government continue distributing sanitisers and face masks, the food must also be ready to ensure nobody will face starvation.At the same time, the Governor has emphasized on the need for the farmers in the county to ensure they focus much on growing horticultural foods which mature within a span of three months.

Over 200,000 people in the county are at risk of hunger if no steps are taken early enough.The Governor who was accompanied by Nyeri Town MP Hon. Ngunjiri Wambugu was speaking after launch-ing a collaborative initiative of disburs-ing 4,000 face masks and 4,000 pieces of 50ML sanitisers. The initiative is targeting over 50,000 people including market traders, PSV matatu operators, boda boda operators among others.It is mandatory for every vendor to wear masks to avoid contamination and spread of the Coronavirus.

The programme will be rolled out in all constituencies in the county and all the 44 MCAs will be involved in the distri-bution of the face masks and sanitisers.Hon. Wambugu supported the initiative noting that it will help to protect Nyeri residents against the Coronavirus. The County Government of Nyeri is in the process of making 100,000 face masks which are being produced at Nyeri National Polytechnic and Karati-na Polytechnic. Currently, the County Government is packaging 13,000 litres into smaller units of sanitisers which was a donation of Kibos Sugar Company.

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H.E Mutahi Kahiga and Nyeri Town MP Ngunjiri Wambugu inspecting the repackaging of sanitizers at Old Municipal Hall, Nyeri town.

PHOTO | PETER WANGARI

H.E Governor Mutahi Kahiga said as the government continue distributing sanitisers and face masks, the food must also be ready to ensure nobody will face starvation.H.E Governor Mutahi Kahiga said as the government continue distributing sanitisers and face masks,

Kshs. 10 million set aside to purchase food in Nyeri The Performance Management Unit plays a critical role

in enhancing optimal service delivery. Kindly enlighten us on what the roles and responsibilities of this unit are:

The Performance Management Unit/ Governor’s Service Delivery Unit is under the Governor’s Offi ce. The unit closely monitors and reports on programs and projects progress in development plans- County Integrated De-velopment Plan and its attendant Annual Development Plans- through performance management tools such as Performance Contracting, Staff Performance Appraisal System, and Rapid Results Initiatives. These processes are aimed at ensuring that the impact and outcome of county investments is measured and results managed eff ectively to enable timely corrective actions where necessary.

Kindly explain the roles of County Integrated Perfor-mance Management System (CIPMS) and the roles it has been playing since it was formed.

Automating Performance- All program/projects/activities in Annual Development Plan (ADP) are updated in the Integrated Performance Management System (IPMS). Performance Management system has large scale fl ow of documentation which needs to be accessed by diff erent parties. Automation helps not only in reducing the time for documentation but also helps in fl owing of information as per defi ned workfl ow. Every party can also electronically access the necessary data and information without hassle.Target Setting and monitoring- The Ability to set goals and monitor through the system simplifi es the process and makes it easier for employees to keep track of their performances against desired goals and objectives. Automated timely reminders will

ensure that everyone keeps up with the overall pace of each department thereby reduce the possibility of the employees not achieving their desired goals. Reporting performance- By enabling completion and stor-age of information in the system, it becomes easy to record, access data without handling stacks of paper. It also helps to track the expenditure and makes it easy to access and make reports out of them.

The county entrenched the culture of signing the perfor-mance contracts commencing with CECMs and cascading that to other levels such as Chief Offi cers and Directors. What is the progress of this exercise?

Under the leadership of H.E Governor Mutahi Kahiga, the County Government of Nyeri is cognizant of the impor-tance of performance contracting in defi ning quantifi able targets for its offi cers over a period of time in making sure that the county government delivers on its social contract with the people.Performance depends on the output of its employees. Thus, to achieve our Mission, Vision and goals, each county staff performance must be quantifi ed and accurately weighed to what extent they contribute to the wellness of the county.This helps in improving accountability to the public and at the same time increases effi ciency and eff ectiveness of the infrastructures of public service and processes.This is the reason why Nyeri County Government senior offi cials at the cadres of CECMs, Chief Offi cers and Direc-tors sign the performance contracts. With adoption of IPMS

in Nyeri County, all performance con-tracts are being done online shifting from manual method.

Target Setting and monitoring- The Ability to set goals and monitor through the system simplifi es the process and makes it easier for employees to keep track of their performances against desired goals and objectives. Automated timely reminders will

tors sign the performance contracts. With adoption of IPMS in Nyeri County, all performance con-tracts are being done online shifting from manual method.

Cyrus Njige: We have been going round all county departments conducting sensitisation meetings on automating performance and reporting on progress.

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Performance Appraisals are also tools of effecting efficacy and enhancing productivity among the staff of the county Government of Nyeri. How has the process been so far?

Staff Performance Appraisal System is predicated upon the principle of work planning, setting of agreed perfor-mance targets, feedback and reporting. Nyeri county staff have been filling the performance appraisal forms that has directly contributed to the achievement of overall county objectives. From this Financial Year onwards, all staff will be filling the appraisal forms in the IPMS.

The unit has closely been monitoring County Govern-ment of Nyeri programs and projects that are in their development plans. What does that entail?

The unit has been closely monitoring all projects com-ponents to ensure completion with approved deadline and help maintain quality of the projects. For the last two years, the unit has conducted planned site visits across all sub-counties and compiled monitoring reports which are later forwarded to respective offices for action. We have also been receiving monthly program/projects implementa-tion progress reports from all county departments that have significantly been aiding in their monitoring.

The unit has intensified training and workshops for staff with the aim of sharpening their skills sets and arming them with the requisite knowledge that will help them wade through their roles and responsibilities. Please shed

some light on this.

The unit has been holding trainings and workshops with the aim of impacting knowledge on the best practices in performance contracting, program/projects monitoring and reporting. Workshops have been in partnerships with various stakeholders such as Public Service Performance Management Unit. We have also been going round all county departments conducting sensitisation meetings on automating performance and reporting on progress.

The county Government of Nyeri for the last two years has improved on its performance and has been ranked in top positions country wide. Expound on this and the central roles you played in scooping the awards?

Public Procurement Regulations Authority assessment report for FY2017/2018 ranked Nyeri County position one (1) due to adherence with procurement regulations. The county was also ranked second by Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP) Annual Capacity and Per-formance assessment report (ACPA) for its prudent use of funds allocated and its performance in the FY 2017/2018. The unit played a major role in KRA 3 (Human Resources and Performance Management) that contributed to this achievement by ensuring that there were performance man-agement systems in place.

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County Government of Nyeri will re-construct Ria Johnie bridge which col-lapsed recently.The metallic bridge constructed by the British army during the colonial era

collapsed recently after a heavy truck ferrying building materials tried to cross over the Sagana River bridge.H.E. Governor Mutahi Kahiga who visited the area instructed that a temporary foot bridge be constructed immediately as plans to build a permanent bridge kick off.The Governor noted that after the collapse of the bridge situated at the border of Nyeri Town constituency and Mathira constituency, transportation between Kirichu and Mikundi area has been cut off and so there was need to ensure that work starts immediately.Farmers have also been unable to take their produce to the local Kirichu and Kia-mariga markets while transporters of building materials have also suffered render-ing local youths jobless.

Kirichu Ria Johnie bridge to be re-constructed

Kinunga stadium basketball pitch almost complete

Basketball pitch in Kinunga stadium, Dedan Kimathi ward in Tetu is almost complete. The stadium is now fenced using a chain link and an ablution block constructed.The basketball pitch constructed by County Government of Nyeri through the depart-ment of Education and Sports will help pro-

mote local talents for the youth.Students from Shama Academy, Kiriti Sec-ondary and Primary, Huho-ini Girls, Ihwa Secondary, Outspan College, among others will now have the opportunity to practice the sport at the pitch. This will also raise lo-cal economy.

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PHOTO | PETER WANGARI

PHOTO | KENNEDY KARANJA

Inspection of Muthaiga – Kandara valley road

Aid for Rware-Majengo destitute family

H.E Governor Mutahi Kahiga inspected the ongoing upgrading of Muthaiga- Kandara valley road.The road was last rehabilitated 30 years ago leaving a valley instead of a road. The local residents have been having diffi culties accessing their homes especially during the rainy season.A woman broke her legs twice due to the sharpness of the neglected road in Kamakwa ward near Nyeri town.But now, the County Government of Nyeri has come to their aid and has started improving the road making it accessible to people and motorists.The locals who were in jubilation thanked the Gover-nor and area MCA Hon. John Ndumia who was also present for improving the road and also for promising to extend the street lighting project in the area.He also inspected the ongoing perimeter fence around Ruring’u stadium where a new gate has been erected.

Following the highlight of the 96-year-old Grace Wairimu’s story on Kameme TV, H. E Governor Mu-tahi Kahiga has stepped up in aid of her and the fam-ily. Wairimu lives at Majengo village, Rware ward, Nyeri-Central sub-county with three of her grandchil-dren. The family has little to depend on since Grace lost her eyesight in the year 2013 hence cannot engage in any income generating activity. She is registered with the National Government cash transfer program but most of her portion goes to hospital bills. Grace has been relying on other family members and well wishers for food and other assistance. In aid of this family, the County Government of Nyeri through the department of Gender, Youth and Social services donated food items and beddings. The coun-ty will help cater for her medical bills through Bima Afya NHIF. Governor Kahiga also promised to build the family a house to improve their living standards.

The County Government of Nyeri through the department of Gender, Youth and Social Services visited the family that was aff ected by a fi re tragedy at Kwa-J Village, Thungari location, Thegu River ward, Kieni-East sub-county. The fi re which occurred recently, burnt 3 houses within Fridah Wangari’s homestead into ashes. Nothing was evac-uated from the buildings but no casualties were reported. As a quick relief measure, the department donated food-stuff and building materials to this family.

A social visit for Kieni-East fi re victim

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PHOTO | DYNAH MWANGI

PHOTO | PETER WANGARI

PHOTO | DYNAH MWANGI

Nyeri youth volunteer in repackaging of hand sanitizers for distribution

H.E Governor Mutahi Kahi-ga oversaw the repackaging of over 1,600 litres of hand

sanitizers donated by Kibos Sugar Company into smaller units.The hand sanitizers will in turn be freely distributed to the residents of Nyeri County.The exercise which was carried out by local youth who volunteered and were well protected with face masks

and gloves will in totality see all li-tres of hand sanitizer repackaged. The exercise is being carried out at Old Municipal Hall, Nyeri town.In a bid to enhance the fi ght against Coronavirus, the County Govern-ment of Nyeri is further overseeing the production of more face masks.Furthermore, the County Gov-ernment of Nyeri has ensured the screening of all travellers coming

into the county through all the entry points. In the fi rst three days that the exercise has been conducted, about 18,000 people have been screened.Nyeri County hopes to maintain the status quo where the County has re-corded no positive cases yet and so the residents are urged to continue taking protective measures such as sanitizing, social distancing and fol-lowing government directives.

H.E Mutahi Kahiga inspected the temporary relocation of over 600 Chaka traders in Kieni East sub county to give way for the

construction of a new railway station along Nairo-bi- Nanyuki railway line. This is being done by the county government as they await the construction of the new spacious Chaka market. The new market is being constructed by the national government and is expected to be complete by June this year. In light of the Coronavirus, this relocation will also help to prevent the spread of COVID-19 through social dis-tancing. The new railway station will boost the area’s economy once complete and create jobs for the local traders.

Inspection of relocation of Chaka market traders

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Nyeri youth volunteers repackaging sanitizers at Old Municipal Hall, Nyeri town. the Coun-ty Government of Nyeri is further overseeing the production of more face masks.

PHOTO | PETER WANGARI

Boost against Covid-19 as KBLdonates sanitizers

The fight against Corona-virus in Nyeri County got a boost after Kenya

Breweries Ltd donated 80 car-tons of sanitisers.The donation will be distributed to busy places in the county in-cluding markets, bus stages and trading centres so that residents can use to ensure they keep their hands clean.While receiving the donation, Nyeri Governor H.E Mutahi Kahiga thanked the company saying it is now time to join hands and fight against this pan-demic.Nyeri KBL distributors Peter Njogu and P.G. Mureithi said there was need for the donation in order for matatu operators and boda boda riders who are interacting with public to bene-fit daily.This comes after Kibos Compa-ny Ltd also donated 13,000 li-tres to the County Government of Nyeri.

At the same time, the Governor affirmed that his government has started pooling resources together to ensure vulnerable people will not be affected by starvation once this pandemic is over.Governor Kahiga said over 200,000 people might lack food in the near future and there was need for urgent measures to be put in place immediately.He said his office is open and urged well- wishers to start coming forward donating food-stuff in order for the distribution to start.The Governor also reiterated that there is need for wearing masks all the time you are in public as a personal responsibil-ity since it has been proved as a game changer.

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H.E Mutahi Kahiga receiving sanitizers from Nyeri KBL distributor Peter Njogu

PHOTO | KENNEDY KARANJA