CONTENT
- General information about Kisii County
- Implementation of the previous CIDP 2013-2017;
- Challenges which faced the implementation of 2013-2017 CIDP
- Development Priorities in Kisii CIDP 2018-2022
General Information
Administrative Units
Kisii County is divided into 11 Sub-Counties, 33 Divisions, 103 Locations and 237 Sub-Locations. These administrative units are headed by Deputy County Commissioners, Assistant Deputy County Commissioners, Chiefs and Assistant Chiefs, respectively. Table 1.1 presents the summary of the administrative units in the County.
Political Units (Constituencies and Wards)
Political units are represented by elected persons such as the members of National and County Assemblies whose main role is legislation and representation. Kisii County is divided into nine (9) constituencies and forty (45) electoral wards.
Read More: Kisii County Executive Audit Reports FY 2015/2016
Bobasi constituency has the highest number of electoral wards eight (8) in number while Bomachoge Chache constituency has the least number of wards three (3).
According to Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS), 2010, the population of Kisii County was 1,152,282 composed of 550,464 males and 601,818 females.
Read more: Nakuru County CIDP 2018-2022
Population Distribution for Kisii Town and Major Urban Centres
There are five urban centres in the county namely: – Kisii Town; Keroka; Ogembo; Tabaka; and, Suneka, with a total population of 125,241
Kisii Town has a higher number of people during the day because it has the largest open-air market in the region and hosts many institutions of learning as well as businesses.
Percentage of Land with Title Documents
It is estimated that 35 percent of surveyed land in Kisii County has title deeds. This has serious implications in the County’s development since a small percentage of the County population can access loans for development purposes
Incidence of Landlessness
Since land in the County is either private or public, there are incidences of landlessness among female members of the society since the male get inheritance from the parents which does not happen to the female according to the culture of the community.
Read More: Proposed construction of Sombogo Tea Factory
This thus creates a comparative disadvantage to women since they cannot use land for economic gain.
Type and Size of Land
Kisii County has a total land size of 1,317.50 km2, whereby 988.70 km2 is arable land, 329.40 km2 is not arable, 18.91 km2 is water mass and 136.80 km2 is urban area.
Type and Size of Land
Kisii County has a total land size of 1,317.50 km2.
Main Crops
The County produces food and cash crops. The food crops include maize, beans, finger millet, bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, arrow roots, sorghum, tomatoes, carrots, avocados and vegetables. The cash crops include coffee, tea, pyrethrum and sugarcane.
Oil and Other Mineral Resources
Mining and Oil Potential
Kisii County has two main minerals namely; soapstone and granite. Soapstone mining at Tabaka has employed over 10,000 people. However, the mineral is underutilized as, besides curving, other products like chalk, talc powder, ceramic tiles and paints can be produced.
Read More: Police arrest six over alleged public incitement through social media in Kisii
Granite is mainly found in Bonchari and is unexplored. It can be used to manufacture tiles for tabletops, counter tops, tile floors, stair treads and carving of monuments.
There will be need to invest in appropriate mining equipment, safety of miners and environmental preservation.
Main Tourist Attractions and Activities
There are no registered game parks in the County, but there are some geological sites such as Nyangweta, Ritumbe and Ibencho forests that offer good tourist sites. Wild animals found in these forests include: – porcupines; monkeys; snakes and various species of birds. Other unique attraction sites include Ngoro ya Mwaga in Manga Hole (a hole believed to be a habitation of natural spirits). Tourists visiting the site are encouraged to carry some firewood which they throw into the hole; if smoke blows from the hole, then it is a sign of acceptance.
IMPLEMENTATION OF Kisii County Integrated Development Plan 2013-2017
- Developed a Strategic Plan for the department.
- Introduced and coordinated Performance Contracting for senior County officers
- Constructed and equipped Sub-County and Ward offices.
- Constructed pit latrines for Ward offices.
- Purchased motor vehicles for Sub-County Administrators
- Acquires assorted fire-fighting equipment through partnership with development agencies.
- Established the County Budget and Economic Forum
Department of Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development
- Introduced subsidized AI services (from KShs. 3,000 to KShs. 500).
- Distributed 83 green house kits to farmers/schools.
- Disbursed a contribution of KShs. 30 million to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) to support the proposed construction of a tea factory at Sombogo.
HEALTH SERVICES SECTOR
Upgrading Kisii Level 5 Hospital into a Teaching and Referral Hospital Status.
Read More: Kisii Avacado Factory Stalled
To aid in diagnosis, monitoring and treatment of medical conditions several medical equipment were installed in the hospital. This has led to a reduction in referrals to Kenyatta National Hospital in Nairobi and Moi Teaching and Referral Hospital in Eldoret.
Ambulance Services
The County Government established an Emergency Ambulance service complete with trained emergency medical technicians. Each of the nine sub-counties hospital has one state of the art ambulance. A 24-hour telephone line has been established dedicated to respond to ambulance emergency needs.
Gusii Water and Sewerage Company (GWASCO)
Supported the Water service provider GWASCO in keeping its mandate by enhancing its human resource capacity, enhancement of water and sewerage network and payment of electricity bills to a tune of Ksh 60 Million in Kegati, Ogembo and Tabaka water supplies.
Read More: Find out how Kisii Scouts Soapstone Carving Group are making a living
Overall, within the period the department contributed to reduction of distance of households reaching the nearest water source from 3 to 1.5 Km and increased the percentage of the population accessible to clean and portable water from 46% to 56%.
Education Sector
- Constructed 180 ECD classroom
- Recruited 308 instructors.
- Disbursed over Kshs. 540 million to needy students through the County Bursary Fund
TRADE
- Held a successful Kisii Entrepreneurship Summit which brought together local, regional and international investors which saw contractual agreements signed to establish a Shs. 5 billion sugar complex in South Mogirango.
- Established a Trade Credit Scheme which enabled 200 youth acquire motorcycles.
- Constructed 200 boda boda sheds across the County.
DEPARTMENT OF CULTURE
- Launched Ekegusii Dictionary
- Rehabilitated Gusii Stadium to promote sporting activities.
- Constructed two libraries (Ogembo and Kenyenya).
Challenges which faced the implementation of 2013-2017 CIDP
Scarcity of Land
Shortage of land is a major issue in the County as available land is overstretched and scarce. Parcels of land that belong to the County or public utility, especially in Kisii Town were illegally allocated to developers by the defunct Local Authority. This is a challenge because the projects planned for implementation could not be done on the same land. The people’s park in Kisii Town and tree nurseries near storm hotel are some cases in point. It was also because of this that the proposed modern city project for Kisii County could not start.
An Over-Ambitious Plan
The 2013-2017 Plan was highly ambitious in terms of targets, number of programmes and projects that were envisaged to be implemented.
High Expectation from the Public
Some of the areas in the County had lagged behind in development since independence, and with the coming of devolution, residents sought for development regardless whether the services they were seeking for were devolved or not. Basic education, for instance is not a devolved function, but due to public demand, the County Government had to create a Bursary Fund kit to address the needs of the public. This led to under-funding of some core services like pre-primary education and vocational training. The money used to establish the Bursary Fund, could have otherwise been used to initiate programmes under devolved structures.
Pending Bills
Due to high expectation from the members of the public, some of the works (projects/programmes) were given out without budgetary allocation. This led to accumulation of huge pending bills across the sectors, occasionally resulting to non-completion of some projects.
Development Priorities in Kisii CIDP 2018-2022
Resource Gap
County Government revenues encompass local revenue streams from taxes and other fees, loans and grants, equitable share and conditional allocations from the National Government and contributions through Public Private Partnerships (PPPs). Based on the revenue projections, it is estimated that the County will raise KShs. 52.6 billion, whereas to implement the Plan will require KShs. 94.2 billion. The resource gap is, therefore, estimated at KShs. 41.6 billion.
Measures to Address Resource Gap
- the County will look for development partners like USAID, World Bank, DANIDA among others to provide funds for projects and programmes (preventive, promotive, curative, rehabilitative and palliative) in form of grants supplementing the County sources
- In the infrastructural front, the County will explore Public Private Partnership (PPP) arrangements as well as engage donors to cover the existing funding gap in road improvement and maintenance;
- Development partner support will also be required to bridge the gap in ICT infrastructure and improvement of vocational training centres.
- In agriculture, the County government will explore PPP arrangements in value addition of agricultural produce focusing on the agro processing industry that will brand our tea, coffee, bananas, dairy and fruit products.
- To address the shortfall in own revenue, the County Government will automate systems for collection, recording, receipting and reporting – minimizing manual methods and ensuring prompt banking, based on modern Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) platforms and provide an electronic link with the IFMIS.
Flagship Projects – Health services sector
Construction of Kisii Cancer Center – Kisii Town- Ksh. 2.1 billion
Expansion of Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH) – Ksh. 6.1 billion;
WATER SECTOR
Sector/ Sub-sector Development Needs, Priorities and Strategies
Kisii County receives high precipitation at an average of 1,500 mm per year. However, there is still high demand for water for domestic and industrial use as the water connection currently is estimated at one percent.
Kisii Town which is the major urban centre is served by Kisii Water Supply as the main source whose water production is estimated at 5,000 cubic meters per day against a demand of 20,000 cubic meters per day.
Solution
The Kisii CIDP 2017-2022 has estimated that Ksh. 200 million will be spent on purchasing and installing 900 water tanks to collect rain water.
Flagship/ County Transformative Projects
Kegati Water Supply is one of the noticeable flagship projects in the sector. The completion of the project will make Kisii County competitive and increase revenue to the County through billing and reduce the cost of doing business in the County. Water is an enabler in industrial development
- Kisii Water Supply at Bobaracho (2017-2019) financed by Lake Victoria South Water Services Board and Germany Bank. The project will cost Ksh. 1.8 bn
- Nyakwana Mini Hydro Power at Sameta or Mokwerero Ward to generate electricity for tea factories and other county installations. Financed by KTDA to a tune of Ksh. 1 billion.
Education, Labor and Manpower Development
It is estimated that Ksh. 2.1 billion will be spent on improving the quality of ECDE centers in Kisii County.
180 ECDE classrooms to be constructed at a cost of Ksh. 1.2 billion;
Spend Ksh. 300 million to equip ECDE Centers with learning materials
Ksh. 7.6 billion to be spent on Admin and Planning Services. Part of this money will be spent on recruiting ECDE teachers, instructors, offering training for staff, offering bursaries and school feeding program.
ROADS
Flagship Project:
Suneka Airstip at Bomorenda in Bonchari Sub-County to provide efficient, safe and reliable air transport at a cost of Ksh. 300 million. National government is indicated as the implementing agency.
- 200 kms of roads to be tarmacked at a cost of Ksh. 6 billion
- 1,000 kms of roads to be graveled at a cost of Ksh. 2 billion
- 2,250 kilometers of roads to be maintained at a cost of Ksh. 1 billion;
In total the Roads Development program is expected to consume Ksh. 9 billion;
CULTURE, SPORTS, YOUTH AND SOCIAL SERVICES
FLAGSHIP PROJECTS (2018-2022)
- Upgrading of Gusii Stadium to International Status at a cost of Ksh. 2.4 billion
- NHIF – Ksh. 500 million to provide NHIF in all sub-counties;
COUNTY ASSEMBLY
- Construct ward offices for MCA at a cost of Ksh. 225 million
- Spend Ksh. 20 million on modern Library and ICT Centre
- Spend Ksh. 100 million on Speaker’s residence
- 100 million on public participation foras
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