The issue of pending bills has been a major challenge that the county government of Taita-Taveta has had to grapple with since devo- lution came into force more than fifteen years ago.
The bills have been accumulating since the leadership of the first governor John Mruttu into the Samboja administration and now seems to have reached disturbing amounts under governor Andrew Mwadime.
The pending bills continue to pose a major obstacle to the completion of development projects and service delivery in areas such as public health, education and social services.
According to con- servative data the bills reached Sh895 during the 2023/2024 financial year despite govern- ment efforts to reduce the amounts.
On the other hand, a section of leaders, both past and present, continue to raise concern about the validity of these pending bills.
Former Mwatate MP and assistant education minister Calist Mwatela called for serious scrutiny of these bills saying that chances are funds meant for some development projects could have been embezzled.
“Before any project is implemented, a budget has to be passed and ratified so it beats logic why some projects contin- ue to accumulate pending bills” said the former legislator.
Mwatela expressed shock that
even workers’ statutory deductions were now being lumped together with pending bills.
“This is ridiculous and unacceptable. Statutory deductions are suppose to be remitted directly to the target institution and there is no way that they can become pending bills” said Mwatela.
Governor Mwadime’s critics accuse him of failing to deal with the issue of pending bills with the seriousness it deserves.
They also blame the governor for employing more advisors than the law requires most of whom have no tangible returns for the county save their contribution to the ballooning wage bill.
Political pundits intimate that the wage bills among other shortcomings, might be one of the factors that will be a major obstacle to Mwadime’s attempt at reelection come 2027. et
END OF AN ERA
Steel factory that could be a game changer in Taita-Taveta County and Coast region
With expansion of industries being one of the key pillars in Vision 2030 the recent unveiling of a Sh 11 bn steel factory at Manga, Voi sub-county in Taita- Taveta County could be a game changer in boosting the economy of the area and the Coast region at large.
The steel plant is deemed to be the only one of its kind that will harness the iron ore being mined from the neighboring Kishushe ranch which is currently being shipped out of the country for smelting due to the lack of an ore smelting factory in the country.
The project which was officially opened by President William Ruto is located at the expansive Mbulia ranch which occupies an area of more than 36,000 acres is under the Devki Group of companies.
The upcoming factory is projected to create about 3,000 job opportunities on the onset and about 14,000 more when it reaches peak production.
The iron ore for the factory will be supplied by Samruddha Resources, the company that is mining iron ore from Kishushe which plans to inject a further sh300m into their activities apart from the Sh1bn they had invested during the start of the mining project more than six years ago.
It’s estimated that Samruddha Resources will be supplying about 30,000 tons of raw ore to the steel factory every year to Devki factory.
However, there still remains conflicts of interests in the running of the mining business and the setting up of the factory most of them being caused by disgruntled land owners especially the ranch management over issues of compensation in accordance with the policy of corporate social responsibility.
Before Samruddha Resources ceased mining activities two years ago he was embroiled in a standoff with the management of Kishushe ranch over claims of more than Sh150m in compensation while the mining company was said to have settled only Sh10m.
On the other hand, the two ranches have been grappling with management problems especially on transparency and accountability more so the time and tenure in office of some ranch officials with complaints that some members had overstayed in office while fresh elections were not being held to choose new officials.
Apart from livestock keeping and wildlife, Taita-Taveta ranches which occupy more than 1 million acres hold hundreds of types of minerals of precious and semiprecious nature as well as iron ore, resources which if properly exploited and traded, can contribute immensely towards boosting the county economy.
In fact it’s becoming increasingly apparent
that the Taita-Taveta County leadership has not been as audacious in enforcing mining regulations and collection of rates and other requisite taxes from the mining companies,
laxity which could be leading to loss of millions in taxes and royalties.
Qwetu SACCO education to members a booming success as key issues on sacco development are deliberated
This year’s Qwetu Sacco education to members event was successfully concluded with members in TaitaTaveta county and the diaspora trooped to various venues to acquaint themselves key issues pertaining to the sacco as well as future prospects.
The major highlights of the event was deliberation on the ambitious Qwetu Sacco Five Year Strategic plan running from 2024 to 2028.
The plan is anchored in the strategic theme of “Reinventing the business model for sustainable growth”.
This is intended to enable Qwetu Sacco DT Sacco to take advantage of the opportunities available in the market and attain a total asset base of Ksh10 billion by the year 2028, as well as addressing the challenges that could obstruct the society’ s progress towards that end.
The chairman also emphasised the need for members to embrace technology in order to improve efficiency in service delivery.
Among the key areas of focus in the education document this year included:
1.Role of members in Qwetu DT Sacco
2.Understanding the Sacco regulator framework
3.Key performance indicators for Qwetu DT Sacco
4.Portfolio performance
5.Enhancing members contributions
6. Members complaints handling
Mr Mbashu at the same time assured the members of the institution’ s stability, pointing out that the society’s total asset base of over KSh 4 billion was something all members should be proud of.
“Our asset base is the key indicator of our sound economic foundation and I urge those who have not paid their full share capital amount to do so in order to guarantee a stronger financial base for the future”, the sacco chairman said et
“T
In his message to the members,the sacco chairman Mr Simon Mbashu underscored the need for members to buy more of share capital and add as much as they could in order to make the sacco stronger and provide capital for growth and development.
The Wray Memorial museum now mation on the history of Christianity
It has withstood the vagaries of weather; the scorching sun, torrential rains and the swirling winds for the last 130 years.
To a casual observer, this somewhat forlorn building looks like just one of the old fashioned structures which is in dire need of repair or better still, demolition, to create room for modern structures.
Standing triumphantly on the picturesque Sagalla hill in Voi constituency, this unique building has defied the fury of the elements to remain where it stands today.
Welcome to Rev Wray Memorial Museum, the oldest church in Taita-Taveta County, which is the cradle of Christianity, a beacon of faith and culture.
The museum bespeaks longevity as it is a cultural monument that testifies to the long, painstaking road that the Christian faith has passed through since the turn of the twentieth century.
The museum committee chairman Mr Apollo Nzano says that the facility is both a cultural and historical resource that must be preserved for future generations and research.
“The museum will provide invaluable information for posterity as pertains to the advent of Christianity in Taita-Taveta County,” says Mr Nzano, adding that it is a major indicator of the cultural transformation that the Taita community has undergone through the last century.
The museum official emphasized the fact that the Taita-Taveta County government should put enact local legislation that will not only ensure that such cultural and historical monuments are preserved but also provide funds towards that end.
“Issues touching on culture have been addressed in the new constitution .It’ s now upon the government and corporate entities to use their corporate social responsibility programmes to ensure that that cultural monuments are protected and jealously guarded” says Nzano.
He revealed that plans were underway to launch a major cultural centre near the museum, which, among other things, will serve as a tourist attraction.
“I am glad that this museum facility has been preserved for all these years. To us the young generation, it sounds quite incredible,” says the museum curator Liverson Mwanyumba.
He is more optimistic that once the proposed cultural center takes off, the facility shall generate more income from both tourists and local visitors.
Among the items preserved in this museum include the list of those who were baptized by Rev Wray 129 years ago as well as the baptis-
mal basin which Rev Wray used.
Other Taita cultural items preserved in the museum include a traditional stool, a bow and a quiver full of arrows of Mzee Mwang'ondi Nzano, the father to the late Mombasa ACK bishop Crispus Dolton Nzano. The late bishop Nzano's grave is just a few metres from the museum.
Alongside these are a Taita traditional wooden bowl (fuwa), a plate made from a dry gourd ( kioro), a grindstone( lwala) , beer drinking horn,(lwembe) and a hunters leather bag( kikuchu).
“We have strived to ensure that no unauthorized persons gain access to the invaluable items preserved in the museum .You see, not everybody understands the true value of these historical artifacts” says a museum committee member Mr Elisha Mwarimbo.
Former Sagalla Ward MCA Godwin Kilele echoed the sentiments made by Mr Nzano.
“The Taita –Taveta County government has an obligation to come up with relevant laws to safeguard and preserve the museum for future generations as well as the numerous other shrines found all over Taita-Taveta county including caves, rocky cliffs, natural forests and the likes” said Mr Kilele.
The former MCA lamented that the hitherto rich Taita culture had been severely eroded by western values, a trend he said must be reversed.
“What has amused me most is the impeccable manner in which the century-old records have been preserved. They are so neat, one cannot believe they have been lying in there for more than a hundred years” says lawyer Duncan Mwanyumba, a regular visitor to the museum and a participant of the museum's annual walks which have been going on for the last six years.
The Rev Wray Memorial Museum was initially known as the St Marks Church- Sagalla and was put up in 1883.
The place on which it stands today was named “Mwingoni” after a tree called “Mwingo” under which the locals communed with their ancestors of yore, giving sacrifices and pouring libations to their fore fathers.
Rev Wray stayed and worked with the local community for three decades before he went back to England.
On the other hand Rev Wray is remembered for pioneering the translation of the holy Bible to Kitaita as well as initiating the translation of the gospel according to St Mark to Kisagalla.He also authored the English-Sagalla dictionary which is available in the museum. Wray is also credited with the introduction of formal education in Taita-Taveta but he also encountered passive resistance from the lo-
cals since some of them are said to have demanded payments before they could attend classes.
“The work of these pioneer missionaries was not in vain as most grandfathers and mothers of prominent Taita Christians passed through these early missionaries,” says lawyer
now preserving invaluable inforChristianity in Taita– Taveta County
Mwanyumba.
Some of the early converts associated with the spread of Chrisitianity in Taita- Taveta were Jonanthan Kituri, Simeon Mzungu, Solomon Kitololo, Naftali Kimori, Stephen Kiteto and Allen Madoka, the father to former Mwatate MP Marsden Madoka...et
Voi children’s project blazing the trail in environmental awareness and conservation
As environmental issues such as climate change and global warming continue to pose a threat to many governments all over the world, it’s becoming more and more apparent that communities need to be empowered and sensitized on how to cushion themselves from the emerging challenges.
Towards that end, an ambitious children’s environmental program in Voi is slowly changing the way communities undertake environmental conservation initiatives, putting children efforts and innovation at the centre of the picture.
The Toto Mazingira project is blazing the trail on environmental issues targeting young people, including creative recycling and tree planting as well as general environmental matters.
“At Toto Mazingira, we believe that children are not just leaders of tomorrow, they are the change makers of today” says Rachel Mwakazi Skjaerpe, the founder and coordinator of the program.
She says that the children’s program provides a safe, inclusive and inspiring space where young minds can interact, learn and lead.
“Through hands-on activities like clean-ups, tree planting and up-cycling, children are immersed in environmental action while having fun at the same time” she says.
She pointed out that beyond physical activities, the project equips children with access to digital tools such as Chrome books, which enable them to explore new horizons through coding, digital storytelling and climate tech innovations.
Eco-warriors
This ensures that the young “ eco-warriors” are empowered both on the ground and on the internet.
“At Toto Mazingira, we are nurturing a generation that doesn’t just dream of a better world, they are already building it” says Rachel, adding that the program is on a visionary mission to not only create a better environment but also to generate employment opportunities and expand its positive impact to neighboring sub-counties.
She says that climate change poses a serious risk to current and future generations and children must be put at the centre of environmental conservation and education programmes in order to equip them with knowledge on how to tackle the emerging challenges.
“At the moment we are concentrating our environmental activities within Voi sub-county before we extend the program to other parts of Taita-Taveta County” says Rachel.
Through skills training and capacity building programs, Toto Mazingira aspires to empower local residents to become active participants on issues such as recycling and reusing glass bottles and eventually establishing local production units
which will contribute to waste reduction and employ individuals from the surrounding communities.
By establishing strategic partnerships, collaborating with local authorities and leveraging existing networks, Toto Mazingira aims to replicate its successful model of glass bottle recycling and waste management in other parts of Taita-Taveta County and beyond.
This expansion will extend the positive environmental impact as well as help in creating employment opportunities and catalyze sustainable development in previously underserved communities.
So far the program activities have continued to gather momentum, attracting both children and supportive adults, with efforts being put in place to come up with educational materials on climate change that are easy for children and adults to understand.
Towards this end, the program has continued to lay emphasis on the use of online lessons using clips and a language that is easy to understand with interactive lessons being used to convey various environmental concepts.
So far the Toto Mazingira model results have attracted attention outside Kenya including countries such as Sierra Leone, Madagascar, Fiji and Mozambique.
The environmentally-friendly village program is powered by ManGo Development CBO based in Voi sub-county.
