They drove into the new- look Maseno Agricultural Training Center one after the other. The mood was ecstatic despite the chilly morning weather. It was the first time the Governor, Prof Peter Anyang’ Nyong’o was holding an important staff meeting outside his boardroom at the City Hall.
The staff – the County Ministers (CECMs) and their Chief officers, all armed with files and Laptops containing details of their Departmental projects to be discussed at the meeting- took positions in the neatly arranged hall –as the Governor arrived, escorted by his Deputy- Dr Mathew Ochieng’ Owili and Country Secretary- CS. Hesbon Hongo.
There were only two agenda(s):- the Status of procurement in the county and the Presentation of each Department on the status of project implementation up to 20th May 2024.
Before the Ministers and their Chief Officers rose in turns to explain the status of their projects, the governor gave an opening address in which he directed members of the County Executive Committee to be updating his office with detailed weekly reports on the implementation status of key development projects.
He said these reports must have accurate timelines for the completion of the projects and the cost, adding that this was meant to ensure 100 percent completion of projects he promised in his manifesto.
The Governor also directed that contracts lagging behind the deadlines be terminated with immediate effect as a way of reducing pending Bills.
He directed the Departments to furnish the treasury will the list of projects earmarked for termination due to non-performance.
The County Secretary will from next week create a dash board in his office through which he will be monitoring the real time status of development projects across the County
He said the status reports would then be shared with his office to enable him make decisions on Departments whose projects were running behind schedules.
The County boss said he did not want the County’s good ratings to be clouded by failure to follow due processes and procedures that could invite audit questions.
Other resolutions at the meeting were that:
- Ministers to plan well before executing key projects and follow procedures to avoid payment problems that result into pending bills.
- The treasury arranges to pay verified pending Bills.
- CECMs and Chief Officers consult before making decisions on projects and procurement.
- County Ministers and Chief Officers to be weary of contractors seeking to compromise them as this may lead to shoddy work.
- The Executive Committee to hold weekly meetings with their staff to discuss progress of projects.
- Alcoholic drinks should not be sold at the recently rehabilitated recreational parks within the city and that the Parks should only be used for recreation and to show-case Kisumu’s greening program.
- That the County was happy with the on-on-going restructuring and rehabilitation at the Maseno Agricultural Training Center and should market it as a conference center and as a source of revenue to the County.
The Governor later toured the ATC’s vast investments, including the Livestock and poultry sheds.