Bungoma County government has spelled out a litany of reasons why Governor Wycliffe Wangamati's administration deserves a second term in office.
According to infrastructure CEC Collins Mukhongo, Wangamati's development track record speaks for itself with a number of projects initiated by the governor already complete.
Speaking to Daily Nation , Mr Mukhongo said for his infrastructure development, scholarship programmes and other significant achievements in the health and agricultural sectors, Governor Wycliffe Wangamati deserves to be re-elected in next year’s General Election.
“If you compare Wangamati’s development record with his predecessor’s, he has clearly done much better. This is also a region that has had several high profile ministerial appointments in the national government but at no time has Bungoma County experienced such rapid improvement across sectors in such a short time,” he said.
Mr Wangamati is likely to face Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka, businessman Zachariah Barasa, Sophy Nekoye and former County staff Dr Peter Khakina.
In what has been dubbed Wangamati pesa mashinani, the governor has lately been traversing the county to inspect projects he launched in the last three years.
Mr Mukhongo said Wangamati’s development record and sound leadership is what enabled him to be ranked the best performing governor in Western region during this year's Galla Awards that are due later this month.
Mr Mukhongo has also been ranked as the best performing CEC due to the infrastructure development across the county's nine constituencies.
Mr Mukhongo said the first phase of the 5,000-seater Masinde Muliro Stadium, which is being constructed at an estimated cost of Sh690million, is 65 per cent complete with the main stand and the playing surface almost done. Drainage works also ongoing.
“Senior state officials from the presidential delivery unit including Sports Cabinet Secretary, Amina Mohammed, who have in the past visited the stadium and have expressed optimism that when the completed, this facility will be able to host national events in the near future,” he said.
Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati (in white shirt) and Cabinet Secretary for Sports Amina Mohammed address the media when the CS inspected the ongoing construction works at Masinde Muliro Stadium in Kanduyi.
Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group
“The state through the presidential delivery has expressed willingness to help us complete a parking area and a tarmac road around the stadium for us to host either Madaraka or Mashujaa day next year,” he added.
Kenya Devolution Support Programme
Mr Mukhongo said that through the Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP) the county is setting up a 300-bed maternity wing at Bungoma County Referral Hospital that is about to be completed.
This is the first time in the history of the county that a new referral hospital is under construction. The existing 250-bed referral hospital was constructed way back in 1952.
Mr Mukhongo said that the works are 80 percent completed and the facility that will be equipped in a few months to address child and maternal delivery challenges and to ease congestion.
"Under the KDSP programme we have also earmarked to put up a 100-bed in Bumula at a cost of Sh70 million, a 30-bed hospital in Naitiri with a mortuary at a cost of Sh30 million and provided seed capital in collaboration with Elgon Constituency CDF to establish a medical training centre in Kapsokwony on a five-acre government land that has already been identified. The county government and CDF will each disburse Sh20 million to the college. A 100-bed hospital is also under construction at Sirirsia Sub-county Hospital,” he said.
The 6.5 kilometers Sh1.4 billion dual carriage way from Kanduyi to Musikoma junction is also progressing well with earth works and drainage at 95 percent complete, the CEC said.
“In two months’ time we will have tarmacked one lane from Musikoma to Kanduyi as we continue with works on the rest of the sections. I can guarantee area residents that the project will be completed before mid of this financial year," he said.
Construction workers on site when Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati inspected the ongoing construction of Kanduyi Musikoma dual carriage way in March this year.
Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group
The Dual Carriageway will have provision for two motorist lanes on either side as well as a cyclists’ lane and pedestrian sidewalks on either side.
The CEC said that the road, which was first done in 1978, will help ease congestion, improve safety of road users and change the face of Bungoma.
Municipality status for four towns
Last year, a committee appointed by Cabinet Secretary in the Ministry of Transport, Infrastructure, Housing, Urban Development and Public Works James Macharia, approved creation of Webuye and Chwele Municipalities and expansion of boundaries of the existing Bungoma and Kimilili Municipalities in what is designed to result in faster growth in infrastructure and provision of social amenities to parts of the County.
The approval followed a request by Governor Wangamati to CS Macharia to delineate boundaries of four urban centres in the County in a process that would see Webuye and Chwele towns upgraded to municipalities, boundaries of the already established Bungoma and Kimilili Municipalities expanded to cover more wards and Bungoma Municipality considered for city status.
Mr Mukhongo said the residents of Bungoma and Kimilili Municipalities are already reaping the benefits of urbanisation.
In Kimilili Municipality, major renovations have been done on the Thursday and Monday Market/Bus Park.
The CEC also confirmed that works on the Brigadier Misikhu road is to resume in the next three weeks with a Chinese contractor having been contracted by the national government and commencement orders issued.
“This week together with county commissioner Samuel Kimiti we hosted the presidential delivery unit who monitor delivery of national projects and carried out site tours on the road and agreed to on the commencement of the process in the next few weeks,” he said.
Naitiri section as the new contract embarks on three sections – Naitiri to Misikhu, Naitiri Makuselwa Lugulu and Brigadier to Matunda in Kakamega County.
Bungoma County roads and infrastructure CEC Collins Mukhongo (second from right) and Bungoma County Commissioner Samuel Kimiti with officials from the Presidential delivery unit when they toured Brigadier Misikhu road.
Photo credit: Brian Ojamaa | Nation Media Group
Mr Mukhongo noted that once the road is complete it will open up the agricultural rich Tongaren constituency to counties of Trans-Nzoia, Kakamega and Uasin Gishu.
Mukhongo cited other notable infrastructure developments under Governor Wangamati as completion of the construction of the Dairy Plant in Webuye, construction of Chepkube market in Bungoma town and opening and rehabilitation of more than 1000 km of gravel roads in the county.
