Djibouti News Gazette

Kiambu government has unveiled its third generation County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) for the year 2023-2027.

Launched by Governor Kimani Wamatangi, the five-year comprehensive plan with a budget of Sh168 billion is built upon five core pillars: Governance, People, Resources, Competitiveness, and Harmony.

The Governor says the budget projection which has been raised by Sh52 billion from Sh116 billion in 2018-2022 when only Sh61.8 billion was mobilized, would mostly be drawn from the equitable share.

‘The plan is; about Sh127.9 billion will be drawn from the equitable share, (Sh.76.9 billion) own source revenue and conditional grants (Sh52 billion) while Sh40 billion is to be realized through partnerships with the national government, private sectors and donors,’ said Wamatangi.

The governor cited that the county government will operate with an annual budget of Sh21.6 billion, in the next year, the figure is set to rise to Sh23 billion, Sh25.3 billion in 2025-2026, 2026-2027 (Ksh27.5 billion) and Sh29.9 billion in the last financial year.

Kiambu County Governor Kimani Wamatangi unveiling the county’s 3rd Generation Integrated Development Plan (CIDP) for the year 2023-2027 at an event held at the county headquarter in Kiambu Town.

He added that the plan seeks to make Kiambu a model transformative county delivering exceptional service and unmatched socio-economic development.

‘It is therefore my pride to present a CIDP which is a covenant with the people, and which is anchored on governance, people, resources and competitiveness in making Kiambu great again mantra… which has laid emphasis on health, education, water connectivity, roads, agriculture, affordable housing and digitization of land registry, ICT as well as youth empowerment,’ Wamatangi said.

He also mentioned that the plan draws inspiration from his own manifesto and the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda of the Kenya Kwanza Government.

‘By integrating these strategic frameworks, the CIDP creates a cohesive roadmap that will guide the county’s progress over the next five years, with implementation scheduled to commence in July 2023,’ he said.

The county boss noted that the plan aligns with the national development framework, the Kenya Vision 2030, as well as the Medium-Term Plan.

Source: Kenya News Agency

The members of the Presidential Taskforce on the Legislative Regulatory Framework for Religious Organisations, led by Sheikh Abdisakon Mohammed, visited the Deputy Governor, Dr. John Erus, to provide a briefing on their progress in carrying out the mandate assigned to them by the President.

The mandate pertains to developing legislation and a regulatory framework for religious organizations and was triggered by an event that took place in Shakahola, Kilifi County.

The Taskforce’s visit is to identify any gaps in the current regulatory framework, understand the prevailing situation, ensure that the trajectory aligns with the practice of faith, and identify potential loopholes that individuals may exploit to promote extreme or cultic tendencies.

‘By learning from past experiences and projecting into the future, the Taskforce aims to develop a comprehensive plan for the Country that allows for the practice of faith without endangering lives’, Sheikh Mohammed said.

Deputy Governor Dr. John Erus provided his input on the legal and regulatory framework for religion.

He emphasized that freedom of religion does not imply that religion should be exempted from monitoring or registration.

‘The need for clarity regarding the establishment of churches and other religious organizations should be spelled out, as it is currently challenging to discern who may be exploiting cultic practices to manipulate people’, Dr. Erus stated.

He supported the idea of establishing a church commission that could identify and distinguish genuine religious organizations from those with ulterior motives.

DG raised concern over the growing challenge of religious groups and churches springing up everywhere in the County.

The meeting was attended by members of the Taskforce, including Senior Counsel Charles Kanjama, Mary Kitegi, Cynthia Liavule, and Munga Michael.

Source: Kenya News Agency

Engineers working on the rehabilitation of the 33-kilometre road linking Mambanda in the Kumba III subdivision of the South West region and Loum in the Littoral region, have said the transportation of persons and farm produce using the stretch, will be possible within a month.

The road is presently not usable and inhabitants have to travel a distance of over 120 kilometres, passing through Bekoko, Douala to get to Loum.

“This project has been programmed in three phases. The first phase is the bulldozing, total opening, since the road is already closed from Kumba point right up to Loum,” Ndifor Daniel, the engineer coordinating the works said.

“As we talk, the opening has been done from Loum right up to the Moungo bridge. So we decided now to bring the equipment to Kumba to complete the other section that is left right up to the bridge,” he added.

Chamberlain Ntou Ndong, the Senior Divisional Officer of Meme, has asked the community to collaborate with the engineers. “Please support them, talk to your children in the bushes. Tell them that it is for development. They are not here to look for problems,” the SDO pleaded.

Once the works are completed, the rehabilitated road is expected to ease transportation of farm produce from the South West region to major cities in the Littoral region and other parts of the country.

Source: Cameroon News Agency

The new Director of the Advanced School of Mass Communications (ASMAC) Professor François Marc Modzom has officially been installed by the Rector of the University Prof. Adolphe Minkoa She.

While being commissioned to office on Monday July 10, 2023, he was urged to enforce the respect of ethics, decency and discipline amongst students and ensurre the insitution’s reputation soars.

“I am going to try my best, not just to be a director but a good manager. Let me go and work with my collaborators and see how it goes by July 31,” Prof Modzom declared.

Professor Francois Marc Modzom, veteran radio journalist, was appointed following a presidential decree on Tuesday, July 4.

Before his appointment, he served as the Central Director of Radio at the state broadcaster, the Cameroon Radio Television (CRTV). He had also occupied the position of Director at CRTV’s Institute for the Preservation of Audiovisual Heritage (IFCPA) from 2015 to 2021.

Source: Cameroon News Agency