Kirinyaga County Governor Anne Waiguru, has distributed an additional 5800 free meko gas cookers to help families transit from use of firewood and charcoal.
Waiguru also unveiled a comprehensive people-centred approach to tackling climate change and fostering development through a wide-ranging package of community support initiatives that also included water tanks and pipes, fish pond liners and garbage skips and trucks.
The Governor said the support is part of her ongoing campaign to promote environmental conservation, climate resilience, and sustainable livelihoods in the county.
In an event attended by thousands of county residents at Kamiigua Grounds in Kutus on Thursday, the governor emphasized that Kirinyaga County is not merely reacting to climate change but is actively empowering its people with practical and lasting solutions to combat the challenge.
“Climate change continues to pose serious challenges to our communities, but we are taking bold steps to empower our people to enhance adaptation and promote sustainable growth,” she said.
She said the meko gas cookers will help promote use of clean energy and end ongoing deforestation, and support living by reducing indoor pollution. Last year, the Governor had distributed another 600 free gas cylinders to families bordering Mt. Kenya.
“By shifting to clean cooking, we are effectively saving over 500 mature trees per year and saving our women and children from prolonged exposure to smoke that poses health problems,” the Governor noted, adding that her administration also plans to establish a clean cooking program at Kibingoti Polytechnic, where women’s groups will be trained in making energy-saving jikos. and water tanks among others.
The governor also handed over 10,000liters water tanks to 20 community groups to enable them harvest rainwater which they can use to establish kitchen gardens to improve their food security and promote health.
In addressing waste management, 26 garbage skips and a skip loader truck were handed over to improve sanitation in markets and trading centres across the county, with the governor noting that the county is also setting up a Material Recovery Facility that will aid in waste sorting and recycling, creating both a cleaner environment and new employment opportunities.
She added that the climate action plan will also support Inua Jamii Rupingazi Water Project, which will provide clean water to 500 households in Njukiini and Murinduko while Rukenya Irrigation Water Project was given pipes to reduce farmers’ overdependence on rain-fed agriculture.
To boost climate-smart agriculture, the county distributed dam liners to 60 farmers to facilitate fish farming and irrigation. Farmers also received fish feed production machines which will enable them to produce affordable, quality feeds locally.
In support of agroforestry, Waiguru announced that her administration will distribute macadamia and avocado seedlings to 20,000 farmers during the upcoming rainy season, helping restore the environment while supporting farmer incomes.
At the same event, the governor issued tents and chairs to 17 community self-help groups while one group was given a Public Address System to facilitate their economic and social activities.
Kirima Dairy Cooperative Society that has a membership of 6,400 was also boosted with various chemicals and testing equipment to enable them safeguard the quality of their milk before marketing.1
Waiguru outlined a series of transformative projects that her administration has been undertaking to transform the lives of the county residents, among them being upgrading of health facilities, cabro-paving of the county’s major the market centers and support for farmers in production, value addition and marketing mentioning the upcoming Sagana Industrial City as an important component in the agro-industrial value chain.
Kirinyaga County Speaker Murimi Mutemi and a host of Members of County Assembly (MCAs) who attended the event hailed Waiguru for her transformative agenda which he said was centered on uplifting the living standards of the county residents, pledging continued good working relationship between the assembly and the executive for seamless delivery of services.
Kabare Ward Member of County Assembly, Dr. Isaac Mbogo said that governor Waiguru has lived to her election pledges of empowering the residents to better their lives.
