Nyandarua County Bussiness pioneer challenge

Goals and Objectives

As with most similarly conceived projects, the Pioneers Enterprise Challenge main objective is to align the youth and women to the greater national goals entrenched in Vision 2030.

The Goal of the challenge can be summarily given as ‘to empower the youth and women of Nyandarua County with the absolute aim of enabling them to bring social economic change to the people of Nyandarua’.

To create a structured platform to attract innovative business ideas and nurture youth and women into globally competitive entrepreneurs

• 1. To identify entrepreneurial or innovative ideas from the youth and women through a competitive process.
• 2. To mentor, incubate and encourage revolutionary ideas which will encourage a culture of entrepreneurship and self reliance in the target groups
•  3. To create and facilitate funding of investable ideas from eligible groups, companies and individuals.
• 4.  To continually seek and sustainably partner with credible individuals, institutions and companies to achieve the overall goal of the challenge.

Eligible persons are advised to select and submit a business plan in one of the 5 pre-selected categories outline below.

•  Agribusiness
•  Tourism (local and eco-tourism)
•  ICT
•  Infrastructure
•  Environment

• Youth and women ( either individuals or groups) participate in business idea writing competition OR existing businesses that apply for competition are evaluated at the ward level.

• The Business Idea Competition is open to all youth and women aged 18 – 35 years in Kenya as long as they are willing to implement their business plan in Nyandarua upon winning.
• The applicants can be either individual(s) or entities formed by youth and/ or women (e.g. registered business, companies, self help groups, Saccos etc).
• Interested candidates must apply online (fill an online form and upload a business plan) by visiting www.nyandarua.go.ke by 20th January, 2016.

The challenge will have two categories:

•  New Business Idea generation ( Start –Up)
•  Infant SME (not more than 3 years old) but in need of expansion and consolidation

Auditor-General criticizes Nyandarua county for favouring Kikuyus over other tribes

The Nyandarua County government is on the spot over its staff ethnic composition.

According to a report by the Auditor-General, the County Public Service Board has failed to meet the 30 per cent constitutional threshold for employment of people from minority communities, and has favoured one group.

In his 2013/2014 report, Auditor-General Edward Ouko says only six out of the 202 employees on the County Public Service Board’s payroll were from minority communities during the period.

The document says the Kikuyu community had the largest employment share, at 97 per cent, in contravention of a constitutional provision on the ethnic distribution in county authorities.

In May last year, members of the Turkana community living in Nyandarua stormed several government offices in Ol Kalou Town, protesting against discrimination in employment and the issuing of national identity cards.

DISCRIMINATION

The board was criticised for declining to employ a candidate for the post of ward administrator on the grounds that she was not from Nyandarua.

“The candidate, Jemima W. Kimani, was interviewed and shortlisted for the post of ward administrator together with 20 other candidates. However, she was later disqualified on the basis of not being a resident of Nyandarua County,” says the auditor.

Some members of the Turkana community claimed that none of them had been employed by the county government.

“We are the second largest community in the county after the Kikuyus but none of us has been given any employment in the county government or in the county commissioner’s office,” a member of the group, Mr John Imbua, said during the protests.

They also stormed the Registrar of Persons office, saying their children were being denied ID cards in the county.

“When our children apply for ID cards, they are asked to go to Lodwar to register there because their parents' identity papers show they were born in Turkana,” said Mr Joseph Longis, one of the protesters.

First Lady Margaret Kenyatta Hand over Beyond Zero Mobile Clinic To Nyandarua County

First Lady H.E. Margaret Kenyatta today December 10,2015 handed over the 36th Beyond Zero mobile clinic to Nyandarua Governor H.E. Daniel Waithaka Mwangi. She was received on arrival in Ol'Kalou town by the Governor, County First Lady Mrs. Keziah Wanjiku Waithaka and other leaders. The First Lady toured JM Kariuki Memorial hospital and interacted with mothers in the wards before proceeding to Ol'Kalou Catholic grounds where she later handed over the mobile clinic. Leaders present included Nyandarua Senator Hon. Muriuki Karue, Kinangop MP Hon. Stephen Mburu, Kipipiri MP Hon. Samuel Gichigi, Ol'Kalou MP Hon. David Kiaraho, First Ladies from 20 counties, county government officials and provincial administration officials led by County Commissioner Mr. Samuel Kimiti

New Nyandarua County Government Appointee for Road and public works

NEWLY APPOINTED CEC TAKES OATH OF OFFICE
An appointee for the Roads and Public Works docket in Nyandarua County, lawyer Julius Kamau Muthanwa was sworn in today during a ceremony attended by Nyandarua Governor H.E. Daniel Waithaka Mwangi.
The Governor also witnessed the swearing-in of Mr. William Mwangi Wambugu, the secretary to Nyandarua County Alcohol Control and Regulation Board.
The ceremony was attended by members of the cabinet including the Deputy Governor, Waithaka Mwangi Kirika and acting County Secretary Mr. Daniel Irungu.
Nyandarua County Assembly Speaker Hon. Ndegwa Wahome, majority leader Hon. Mwangi Gichuki and several MCAs also graced the occasion that was held in Ol’Kalou town.
The Governor challenged the appointees to uphold their new offices in dignity and serve the common man with dedication and honesty.
“You are a public servant and your contribution to society will be measured by the delivery of service to Wanjiku,” the Governor said.
The Speaker urged the new appointees to conduct their activities above board and avoid the temptation to engage in unorthodox behavior.

SPEECH BY H.E. HON. DANIEL WAITHAKA MWANGI, GOVERNOR OF NYANDARUA COUNTY

DURING THE 52ND MASHUJAA DAY CELEBRATIONS - OCTOBER 20TH, 2015.
My fellow county-men,
Distinguished guests,
Ladies and gentlemen,
It gives me great pleasure to join you today in commemorating the 52nd National Heroes’ Day celebrations here in Huruma Primary School grounds, Ol'Kalou town.
First, I wish to send my warm greetings to every family in our county and other Kenyans wherever they may be.
Mashujaa Day is an important event in our annual calendar, when we celebrate the achievements of our patriots who fought for the independence of our country. 
It is also a day when we remember the many modern-day heroes, who have played a sterling role in the growth and development of our county Nyandarua and Kenya as a whole.
Mashujaa Day reminds us of the struggle and suffering of our National Heroes who sacrificed their lives so that successive generations of Kenyans can live in freedom and dignity.
I want to thank all of you for turning out to pay tribute to the courageous men and women who fought for our country's independence. I also convey our appreciation to our friends and well-wishers who have joined us in celebrating this important national occasion.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I wish to call upon our people to rededicate themselves to hard work in order to secure the future of our children.
My administration has worked hard during the past two and half years to initiate development projects geared towards uplifting the lives of our people.
Apart from upgrading roads in rural areas and urban centers, we have also carried out reforms in agriculture, the co-operative movement, health, land and water, just to mention but a few.
My administration shall continue to work with all elected and community leaders in the implementation of various development projects across the 25 wards in line with the provisions of the County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) of 2013.
We are undertaking key projects in partnership with the national government and other development partners. Such projects include tarmacking of key roads, construction of mega dams in Pesi, Malewa and Kinja rivers and provision of Artificial Insemination (AI) services to farmers.
In the health sector, my administration is partnering with Schneider Children Hospital of Israel in the construction of the first ever pediatric hospital in Ol’Kalou.
We have already finalized the paper work with officials from Schneider Hospital and I expect the project to take off soon. The proposed hospital will cater for children not only from Nyandarua County but also the surrounding region.
I wish to assure you that service delivery in our health institutions has improved tremendously through the constant and sufficient supply of medical products, namely, drugs, laboratory reagents, patient linen and uniforms. All our health facilities are now well stocked with essential medicines and hospitals have adequate supplies of other medicines for special cases. 
The patient referral system within and outside the County is continuously being strengthened through maintenance of existing ambulances. The County Government has purchased an additional five ambulances. 
The acute shortage of health workforce has been addressed and the County Public Service Board (CPSB) has hired an additional 136 middle-level cadre health professionals to fill critical gaps.
Also, cleanliness in our urban areas has been a challenge but the process of garbage collection has been streamlined. The County Government has purchased three new garbage collection trucks for the purpose. We have also purchased four dump sites in strategic urban centers.
Health infrastructure has been factored in major capital development projects in the County budget and various projects are currently ongoing. These include Engineer District Hospital, which is being upgraded to be a County Referral Hospital.
A modern, state-of-the-art maternity unit and X-ray block are under construction as well as a laboratory. Also, a mortuary is under construction and hospital will get a major facelift to reflect its new status as a Level 4 health facility.
On the other hand, JM Kariuki Level 4 Hospital is being upgraded to Level 5 status with a new operating theatre, a laboratory, installation of modern equipment and a Renal Unit.
We have already established medical training facilities and recruited medical specialists. An accident and emergency center has been factored in the current financial year.
The on-going construction of the Nyandarua County Headquarters is progressing well and we expect to begin occupying the new offices in the next two months.
Recently, my administration hosted a special committee of the Senate whose mission is to identify counties with such inadequate infrastructure as offices.
The committee has listed Nyandarua County as top among the list of other counties that are in a dire need of infrastructure. It is my hope that the national government will fast-track the release of other funds to help us put up other offices not just in Ol’Kalou headquarters but in our sub-counties.
Allow me, ladies and gentlemen to conclude my remarks by highlighting reforms undertaken in the education sector.
During the 2013/2014 financial year, the County Government disbursed Sh7 million for bursaries within our 25 wards. In the year 2014/2015, Sh 65.7 million was disbursed in two installments of 25 million shillings in November, 2014 and 42.5 million shillings in June, 2015. 
In the current financial year, the County Government has set aside Sh. 67.5 million to be allocated to needy students within the county. I appeal to all ward bursary committees to exercise fairness while identifying beneficiaries of this kitty.
Nyandarua County has 14 functional youth polytechnics and my administration has embarked on improving their infrastructure through construction of modern hostels and twin workshops which is already underway. 
Three more new youth polytechnics, namely Kanyagia, Munyaka and Shauri, are ready for opening by early 2016. We shall establish production units in each polytechnic to improve productivity and sustainability in the youth activities.
In the Early Child Development (ECD) sector, my administration has constructed 69 modern classrooms all over the County which are now complete and ready for use.
In the current financial year, the County Government has set aside funds to construct an additional 75 classrooms, which translates to three ECD classrooms in every ward. This will help improve the learning environment of the young learners and increase enrollment in the public ECDs.
Already, my administration has engaged 400 Preparatory Assistants who are on the County payroll. During the current financial year, my government will recruit an additional 200 Preparatory Assistants to be distributed in other ECD centers across the County.
In conclusion, allow me to address a small matter that has been raised by the Council of Governors (CoG) touching on the release of funds to the counties by the National Government.
It has a matter of concern that national government has not released monthly allocations to the counties since August this year. This has resulted in delayed payment of bills thereby causing anxiety among suppliers.
The delays in remittance of funds is grounding Counties to a halt. Salaries need to be paid on time, the contrary will mean social unrest amongst county staff and stagnation in the provision of essential services to the citizens. The National Treasury must treat this issue with utmost urgency and seriousness and release all accumulated county monies immediately. 
County Governments are calling for an urgent Summit meeting by the end of the year to discuss thorny issues including- the state of the economy and the slow implementation of previous Summit resolutions. 
The Council notes that the timeline that had been allocated for the complete transfer of all functions assigned to County Governments lapses in March 2016. 
The limited transfer of functions to County Governments will inevitably culminate into a constitutional crisis if not remedied within the mentioned timeframe. At the moment, the inordinate delays occasioned by the various National Government institutions in the transfer of the remaining County functions have compromised implementation of the same. 
To start with, functions must be properly transferred through the recognized legal framework if they are to be effectively implemented. Unless the Transition Authority gazettes for the transfer of a function, a County Government cannot proceed to perform that function.
Subsequently, any form of service delivery and revenue collection attendant to the pending functions becomes impeded. Second, we must remember that our governance system is founded upon the ‘funds follow functions’ principle. As the ground is laid for the transfer of the pending functions, so must the resources be availed for the performance of those functions
Finally, I wish to thank each and everybody in this county for giving us support as we carry on with the gigantic task ahead of us.
I wish to particularly appeal to fellow leaders to shun political bickering and focus on issues that will help our people uplift their standards of living.
This county has immense opportunities in the co-operative sector, food production and processing, value addition for agricultural products, information and communication technology, tourism, sports and trade. 
As leaders, we should encourage our youths to exploit available opportunities in the informal sector instead of wasting valuable time pursuing limited chances in the formal sector.
Once again, I wish all of you happy Mashujaa Day celebrations.
Thank you and May God Bless us all. 
Asante.

NYANDARUA COUNTY READY FOR THE EL'NINO RAINS

Nyandarua Disaster Preparedness Committee met 8th, Octomber and resolved to urgently map out areas that are prone to floods and landslides ahead of the El’nino rains expected any time from now.

The Committee identified some of the areas prone to floods such as Ndunyu Njeru town and surrounding areas, parts of Nyakio ward in Kinangop sub-county, Gatondo and Ndemi area in Wanjohi ward and the lower parts of Kipipiri sub-county.

The Committee also identified several areas in Ndaragwa sub-county, the Lake Ol’bollosat region, and several parts of Ol’Kalou and Ol’joro-Orok sub-counties.

The team is led by Nyandarua Governor H.E. Daniel Waithaka Mwangi and includes County Commissioner Mr. Samuel Kimiti. Other members include County Police Commander, County AP Commander, head of Kenya Red Cross Society in Nyandarua, county head of National Youth Service (NYS) and representative from local branch of Kenya National Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KNCCI).

Other members are drawn from representative of faith-based organizations, the Kenya Power, representatives from the Governor’s office and County Executive Committee members for Health, Education, Finance, Agriculture, Water and Roads.

During its meeting the committee was informed that Nyandarua County Government had set aside Sh40 million for use in disaster preparedness and was looking forward to more funding from the national government and other donors.

The meeting resolved that rescue centers be set up immediately in all areas that are susceptible to floods and landslides in accordance with recommendations from the sub-county disaster committees.
The department of health announced it had increased purchase of drugs and materials to cater for patients in the event of an outbreak of waterborne diseases.

The committee resolved to urgently purchase relief foods to cater for the population that will be affected by floods and other disasters across the county. Food stocks will also be used to assist people who will be affected by famine following crop failure due to flooding.

The County government will avail ambulances in strategic areas of the county to cater for victims of El’nino and also avail fuel to assist police in the rescue mission.

Members resolved to come out with a county disaster policy to address short-term and long-term issues on disaster preparedness. It was also agreed that the business community be sensitized on the need to assist victims of disaster by providing food and other materials whenever the need arises.

Finally, members resolved that the disaster preparedness team should formulate a time-table to allow for meetings on quarterly basis to address upcoming issues even after the El’nino rains are over.

Avail public records, Nyandarua officials told

The County Government of Nyandarua wants its officials to freely avail public records.

Speaking at a forum on media and public participation held at the Anglican Church of Kenya (ACK) in Ol’Kalou, County Secretary Mr. Frank Muchina said the government is keen on informing, consulting and involving citizens in all county affairs.

“For us, an interested party may be any person or group of people with an interest to protect, a stake in an issue, or knowledge to contribute, and whose participation is critical to ensure wide acceptability of the Government’s undertakings,” he said.

County officials, he said, must ensure that citizens can access public records and are continuously updated on county activities, to increase their understanding about proposed projects and services.

“If a member of the public requests a record, a responsible authority must provide a copy of the record in a timely manner,” he said.

And while the county is committed to engaging its residents across various platforms, Mr. Muchina warned that 2017 campaigns were fast interfering with sober discussions.

“How we can avoid politics in public participation is a serious business for us all,” he said.

Journalists in Nyandarua, he said, must give voice to residents and push their interests into the county’s agenda.

“Beyond looking at the failures of the Government, journalists can publish and broadcast success stories that bring out its efforts and struggles to ensure that the public gets value for its money and there is fairness in sharing and utilization of resources,” he said.

Members of the public called on the county government to increase its financial support for women, sportspeople, environmentalists, small scale traders, the disabled and people living with HIV/Aids and include them in its activities.

The County Executive Committee member in charge of Finance and Economic Planning, Mr. Nderi Ndiani, assured participants at the forum that the county will continue using Churches, public barazas and bodabodas to deliver public notices even as it invests in modern tools of communication.

He said the government has increased its allocation for HIV/Aids this year to Kshs. 4 million, and bought medicine worth Kshs. 100 million for the JM Kariuki Memorial Hospital in Ol’Kalou.

“We will buy required equipment at the hospital, as we wait for the national government to act on its obligations,” he said.

The forum was organized by Media Focus in Africa.

“It is our last after similar engagements in Narok and Taita Taveta counties, but the first time high-level officials of a county have attended any of our fora and also remained to respond to public queries,” said Mr. Harrison Manga, the organisation’s project co-ordinator.