Kwale is among the first counties to get it right by establishing new structures as devolution began to set in early 2013 after Governor Salim Mvurya named his cabinet.
But it is significant to mention that initially the county assembly had a problem with the county boss over the establishment of the public service board which led to loud acrimony.
But this later died off after an amicable settlement.
Of much priority has been education, agriculture, health and water that the county has made headway.
The county administration has given bursaries and established about 100 early childhood development centres.
“Education is core to my heart and is among my manifesto that I am implementing with gusto,” said Mvurya.
The bursary fund was started in 2013 with Sh2 million per ward and rose to Sh5 million within a year.
The fund currently stands at Sh11 million in each of the 20 wards.
“We also have a proposal to raise the money to Sh20 million in the coming financial year,” added Mvurya.
He said the additional cash had been prompted by the fact that pupils going to national schools had increased from 258 in 2013 to 474 for last year.
In addition, the county has also given full sponsorship to 68 students who were taken to India to pursue courses in law, engineering and business.
The county has purchased a record 42 tractors and two have been issued to each ward to assist farmers till land cheaply and boost food production.
In the first financial year, 20 tractors were purchased and 22 bought in the current fiscal year.
“This is to increase the quality and quantity of yields,” he noted.
Six ambulances worth Sh48 million each have been acquired this financial year, in addition to four others purchased last year.
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Manpower
"The ambulance will be yours. However, to develop the health sector is not only about ambulances but to also employ enough manpower which we are doing,” he said while issuing one of the ambulances to Ukunda residents.
The county has further planned to purchase land for the building of the Ukunda medical centre and bought a 30-tonne custom-made drilling rig imported from India to detect and drill purely fresh water boreholes.
The rig, worth Sh35 million, can drill boreholes in rocky, sandy, and clay grounds up to 600 metres deep.
Preparedness
“Most boreholes in Kwale go as deep as 50m to 250m, but precaution and preparedness is the way to go for the county,” said deputy Governor Fatuma Achani at the county headquarters when she received the rig from India’s PRD Rig firm.
Furthermore, the administration has already geo-surveyed at least 10 boreholes to be drilled within the current financial year.
The official launch of the process will be held at Ramisi Ward by the end of this week.
Ms Achani said the Government was working to ensure the county has adequate water supply.
“We have lined up the water company, bought excavators to dig water pans.
“We have now we have gone ahead to purchase a drilling rig that will dig boreholes across the county free of charge, just to make sure our people enjoy the fruits of devolution,” she reiterated.
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