Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa on Wednesday said Makueni is the first county to comply with the set conditions for the grants, which will support the already ongoing Mango Puree Project in the county hence improving the livelihoods of residents/FILE
NAIROBI, Kenya, May 16 – Makueni becomes the first county to benefit from the European Union-Instruments for Devolution Advice and Support (IDEAS) programme among 15 counties participating in the project, after getting funding of S110mn for economic development.
Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa on Wednesday said Makueni is the first county to comply with the set conditions for the grants, which will support the already ongoing Mango Puree Project in the county hence improving the livelihoods of residents.
“Today we are marking the beginning of the actual implementation of the IDEAS programme in the 15 counties. It’s my hope that other counties will emulate the pace that Makueni County is setting,” he said.
Wamalwa said the ministry is working closely with the European Union to actualize the implementation of the IDEAS programme in the remaining 14 counties to create employment and generate income for citizens in the respective counties.
The programme which is set to end in 2021 will contribute to the delivery of the government’s Big Four Agenda on manufacturing and food security in the counties.
The total European Union contribution to the programme is a grant of approximately Sh3 billion, with each 15 counties getting Sh110 million for their Local Economic Development (LED) projects.
The Kenya School of Government and the Ministry of Devolution and ASAL will each get Sh110 million for their capacity building and coordination activities.
The programme targets 15 counties that have proposed to implement LED projects, including construction of markets, abattoirs, fruit and milk processing factories, food storage, diary/seed production and fish processing.
Other counties in the project include Baringo, Kwale, Wajir, Taita Taveta, Tana River, Migori, Kisii, Kisumu, Nyandarua, Laikipia, West Pokot, Samburu, Marsabit and Uasin Gishu.
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