Guyo pledges to ensure equitable development in Isiolo county

Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo has promised to ensure all parts of the county get their fair share of development.

Speaking during the Madaraka Day celebrations in Malkagala trading centre, Cherab sub-county, Mr Guyo said that his administration has initiated development projects in all electoral wards in the county over the last four years.

He asked the local pastoralist communities in Cherab and Chari wards to take advantage of the Merti Vocational Training Centre, which has a well-equipped workshop, saying that despite the enrollment rising from 20 students in 2022 to 83 in 2026, the institution is operating below capacity.

In Isiolo town, Uhuru VTC earlier in the year benefited from the construction of two modern workshops and an administration block funded by the Safaricom Foundation and the introduction of new courses, including welding and beauty therapy.

The governor promised that Kinna sub-county would have a similar workshop by September.

He said that vulnerable students would benefit from Sh15,000 from the county bursary kitty.

"Take your children to this college so they can acquire the necessary skills. The sub-county is developing at a fast rate, and you require technical people who can build houses, repair vehicles and do electrical wiring," he said.

"Through these initiatives, we aim to equip our youth with practical skills, create employment opportunities and drive socio-economic growth in the county," added Guyo.

In the 2025/2026 financial year, the governor noted that the sub-county benefited from the construction of 10 ECDE classrooms, the employment of 80 teachers and the provision of nutritious porridge to the learners.

"In partnership with Kenya Literature Bureau, 200 educators have been trained, we have acquired approved learning materials and provided digital learning in 142 centres to introduce learners to early technological literacy," he said.

He said Isiolo County Teaching and Referral Hospital has five renal machines, a state-of-the-art 128-slice CT scan, digital X-ray machines, a revamped oxygen plant and a fully functional cardiology clinic, and four new ambulances aimed at improving service delivery.

The governor noted that to address gaps in human resources in the health department, the county has in the 2025-2026 financial year, employed 204 nurses, 20 clinical officers, 16 public health officers, six laboratory technicians, 20 social health workers, four medical engineers, ten nutritionists and two oral health workers.

He further said that the county had drilled and equipped 61 boreholes, while 16 more were undertaken in partnership with development agencies. 

The new County Commissioner Mwachaunga Chaunga, said the national administration had put in place measures to contain incidents of insecurity in the Bassa area of Cherab ward and Kom in Chari area, where clashes between local herders and those who migrated there in search of pasture and water had led to killings and theft of livestock.

Mr Chaunga said Kipsing and parts of Ngaremara that had been declared as operation zones by the Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen are under regular patrols by multi-agency security personnel.

The administrator called on the residents to coexist peacefully, saying that the security team in the county was keen on addressing banditry and livestock theft in collaboration with their counterparts from neighbouring counties affected by the menace.