Speaking during a food distribution exercise, Migwani location senior chief David Mbosyo called upon residents to report incidents of chicken theft to his office.

The administrator singled out two young men who allegedly work with others to defraud residents.  He called upon the victims of crime to follow the laid down procedures rather than settling the matter out of court. He warned that such settlement only emboldens the thieves who strike again to recoup their "fines" paid to the victims of recovered domestic animals.

"A woman had her chicken stolen and she decided to settle the matter with the chicken thief.

When money was paid, the alleged thief was set free", revealed senior chief Mbosyo.

The chief attributed the rise in theft to unemployment and failure of the October -November-December rains.

As a result of worsening drought, the government distributed food rations to 324 starving families.

Each household got a total of 9kg which comprised of 4kg rice and 5kg beans.

The chief urged residents to share the little they get with their neighbors.

STORY By PAUL MUTUA

First, there is adequate human resource who can support the needed developments because the combined population of the region is 3,280,057 persons (Meru –1,545, 714; Tharaka Nithi, 393,177; Embu 204,979; and Kitui 1,136,187) persons from the 2019 Kenya Populating Census and the same is rapidly growing. This population consist of professionals scattered in national government Ministries, departments and agencies, and also international organizations like the World Bank and United Nations, who should be called upon to assist in one aspect or the other for county and regional development initiatives.

The professionals and experts should not let down the leadership when called upon to assist in one way or the other since it is part of giving back to the community. Governors should operationalize professional groups and make them to play a vital role in county developments going forward. The era of viewing the professionals as competitors should be banished in the abyss and instead all should realize that governors and counties to an extent are better collaborating with professionals because of the thin line between the two.

Secondly, the counties in the region are also endowed with immense natural resources including precious minerals like calcium carbonates, iron ore, copper and its green variants, gemstones, other precious minerals, rare earth minerals and clay, sand and enormous land upon which massive projects can be undertaken at minimum costs compared to other developed regions.

The governors from the region should form effective partnerships since the County Governments Act, 2012, allows for such cooperation and collaborations. They should also engage the national government for enhanced exploitation of the same including detailed feasibility and mineral resource mapping. 

The governors should utilize the available expertise locally and nationally to drive the agenda of these devolved units. This will make the governors develop and actualize the ability/capability to offer strategic guidance, good and sound management and leadership of the county. These governors should have the capacity to address issues of adequate resource mobilization, partnerships and collaboration in project execution. They should be able to effectively utilize, plan and deploy human (including effective delegation and supervision of staff) and fiscal resources within the county for optimal results. 

Thirdly, governors and the entire county leadership should be able to promote local economic development activities by balancing local taxation on one hand and encouraging growth of more businesses, including creating enabling environment for business to thrive, including mainstreaming traders/hawkers into local economy. This means that the counties in the region should be managed in such a way that they are competitive and can favourably attract international and national investments. 

Fourthly, governors should strive to leave a legacy and hence use their positions to improve the living conditions of the electorate in their counties like access to water (domestic and irrigation because every 1 US dollar invested in water has the ability to lead to an economic development of up to 4 US dollars), infrastructure, clean and safe environment and construction of more village and vocational training institutes to absorb the ever-increasing youthful population.

The Health sector should also not be left behind since many households spend lots of money in accessing the same hence a reduction in the purchasing power that would lead to more productive activities, which increases the County Gross Domestic Product (CGDP). 

Fifthly the Governors should be people with intellect to deliver adequate public services with a high sense of urgency to reduce poverty incidences. This is because many county residents have lived in deplorable conditions which have not been fully addressed from Nairobi since independence because of a variety of reasons, some of which include marginalization, remoteness and prioritization. The residents have a say through the counties and governors through public participation to undo such wrongs and hence accelerate their developments. 

Let public participation in the county programmes and projects be well planned and undertaken to get the views of the many residents factored therein.

Sixth, governors and the leadership should be able to adequately prepare and implement their County Integrated Development Plans (CIDPs) in addition to ensuring that other national programmes and agenda like the Kenya Vision 2030, which is aligned to the Bottom-up economic transformation agenda of the government is implemented locally.

Governors should adhere to the performance indicators, effective ways of measuring their performance, including working with the residents in monitoring the progress of such programmes and projects. This will in the process bring the much-needed confidence in the ability of the governors to bring change from the residents.

OPINION By DR DANIEL MUTEGI GITI

Dr. Mutegi Giti is an Urban Management, Public Private Partnerships (PPPs) & Environment Specialist.

Email: mutegigiti@gmail.com, 

Twitter: @DanielGiti.

KYUSO OCPD Nicholas Mutua has confirmed a suicide incident involving a 45-year-old man. 

The body of the deceased being carried from his house where it was recovered. Kyuso police boss Nicholas Mutua said Mr Munyoki Kilonzi, aged 45-years-old committed suicide in his house in Itivanzou location./MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT 

Police identified the deceased as Munyoki Kilonzi. Locals said that the man had been a livestock dealer for a long time.

The incident happened at Malembwani village in Tulanduli sub location, Itivanzou location, Kamuwongo division, Mwingi North constituency.

National Police Service and the Directorate of Criminal Investigations officers from Kyuso Police Station visited the scene and established that the body of the deceased was hanging with a rope round the deceased's neck from the truss of his house.

The Kyuso police boss said that the deceased had earlier in the day called his brother Kyalo Kilonzi informing him " that his life was in danger from white people who wanted to kill him". 

The Mwingi North headquarters OCPD Nicholas Mutua told MWINGI TIMES that the deceased did not elaborate who the white people were.

The family would later learn that the deceased had informed their two nieces aged 7 and 10 years to lock him inside the house. 

Police said that he did not leave behind a suicide note. His body was moved to Kyuso Sub County Hospital Mortuary awaiting postmoterm.

STORY By MWINGI TIMES CORRESPONDENT

Cheating is a never-ending theme haunting a number of relationships including Baraza's. His and Tobit's relationship appear to have started to end./BRATHE

Two sets of couples are caught up in what is shaping to be a messy fallout over infidelity.

With Tobit having been cheated on by Zainabu, his rich mama, he goes to confide in Sammy how that made him feel. Sammy dismisses it as overreacting. He thinks it  (the relationship) can be salvaged.

It is the master cheater who is submerged between a rock and hard place.

Baraza's wife regrets that he is moving with a woman who is the age of their daughter.

But this is unsurprising to the viewer since Baraza has always been a bad boy with a lot of change to spoilt golddiggers. This is consistent with his portrayal in JANESIS programme.

The insecure Sammy thinks he will lie his way to the heart of Tina. 

What remains unclear is whether in all these lies, we can get a semblance of true love Or it will be as fictional as BRATHE, the spellbinding drama series.

STORY By MUSYOKA NGUI