NYAHURURU, Kenya, Feb 13 – Leaders from the Nyandarua County have launched a five-year Strategic Plan and a website that will help provide information regarding the region, its resources and investment opportunities.
The leaders said this new development will help in boosting the economy of the region through owning to the favourable climatic conditions and geographical set up of the area.
Led by Ol-Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi and his Ndaragwa Counterpart Jeremiah Kioni, they noted with concern that despite the region having been bestowed with numerous natural resources and fertile soils, it continued to lag behind in terms of development growth as a result of poor leadership.
They noted that numerous models of development of the region have generated growth and development that imply a strategic but often hidden role of infrastructure.
Speaking during the launch hosted at the Nyahururu’s Catholic Spirituality Centre Tabor Hill in Nyandarua West district, they observed that lack of vital information such a development guide has continued to affect the growth of the region despite its ever increasing population.
“The ability of infrastructure to reduce the cost of marketing agricultural products has significant implications, especially in this area which serves as the main source of agricultural products as reflected by the Gross Domestic Product (GDP),” said Mr Kioni.
He said lack of infrastructure facilities is the principal source of market fragmentation and inefficiency in the transmission of prices of agricultural products.
As such, availability of infrastructure facilities will enhance diffusion of agricultural technologies and facilitate accessibility to various information resources detailing how to improve on the infrastructure.
On his part, Ol-Kalou MP Erastus Mureithi noted that poverty has remained a major issue in most parts of the country adding that majority of the rural poor depends on agriculture.
“In order to reduce poverty, the agricultural sector must be revitalised and one of the possible solutions is the introduction of new technologies and farming methods by equipping our people with the necessary skills”, he said.
He noted that Nyandarua County had diverse resources that are yet to be tapped to generate income to the locals and hence this was the beginning as they chat the way forward towards developing the county.
He cited the now dying Lake Ol-Bollosat as a tourist attraction saying if well conserved; it could be a boost to in the tourism sector. Other sites include the Abardare Ranges, rivers and many others.
However, the MP observed that due to lack of effective policy implementation to steward natural resource utilization and human settlements, Nyandarua has continued to experience deteriorating social and economic conditions.
In this regard, he underscored the need of focusing on technical capacity development aimed at effective policy implementation and reversing the deteriorating socioeconomic conditions in the highland County.
The ceremony was attended by professional, politicians, business communities and other stakeholders from the entire County.
However, Kipipiri MP who is also the transport Minister Amos Kimunya and his Kinagop counterpart David Ngugi were conspicuously absent with apologies as they were reported to be in other un-avoidable engagements.
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