Kakamega County takes first bold step to bring essential services to villages

Governor Oparanya with council members in Matungu yesterday. [Brian Kisanji, Standard]

Kakamega County has unveiled Community Area Councils that seeks to decentralise services to grassroots level.

At least 8,000 people drawn from 12 sub-counties have been appointed to serve in the inaugural Councils that act as links between the executive and residents in villages.

The new employees are equivalent to village elders in the national government’s provincial administrations set-up.

The Councils’ mandate will be advising the county in five key areas in line with the Kakamega County Decentralised Units (Amendment) Act, 2016.

The areas of focus are health, education, governance, roads and infrastructure, water and environment, and agriculture.

Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said yesterday during the launch of the first group that his administration was focused decentralising services.