A high level delegation from Co-operative bank led by Head of Coast Region Mr. Stephen Musyoka paid a courtesy call on Governor Issa Timamy to discuss areas of possible cooperation between the bank and the County Government of Lamu.
Speaking during the meeting that was held on 8/09/2022 at Mokowe headquarters, the Governor commended Cooperative Bank for their governance, social and economic contributions to the Lamu community adding that his Administration is willing to work with all stakeholders for the benefit of Lamu people.
The team also delivered a congratulatory message from Cooperative Bank CEO to HE Governor Timamy and his Deputy HE Raphael Munyua for winning the August gubernatorial elections.
Lamu Governor Issa Timamy accompanied by his Deputy Raphael Munyua led other Lamu County elected leaders on a familiarization tour of the Lamu Port earlier today.
The Regional Manager of LAPPSET, Mr. Salim Bunu, and the Manager of Cargo Operations at the Lamu Port, Mr. Peter Masinde, showed Governor Timamy through the finished facilities and infrastructure. Governor Timamy pledged his support and cooperation for the full realization of the new port, which he emphasized will significantly boost the county’s economic development .
Governor Timamy met with senior management of the inter agencies, including Kenya Ports Authority, LAPSSET Corridor Development Authority, Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS), Kenya Revenue Authority, and KeNHA Kenya, among others. He was also accompanied by Lamu West MP Stanley Muthama, Senator Joseph Githuku, and a number of MCAs.
Governor Timamy emphasized the County’s participation and cooperation in the creation of the livestock export zone while further promising to facilitate allocation of land and marketing the new port for the export of livestock. Additionally, he requested cooperation and joint efforts in hosting an investor conference in Lamu later this year.
The Adhoc Committee on Operationalization of Port of Lamu, co-chaired by Lamu County Commissioner Mr. Irungu Macharia and KPA General Manager Port of Lamu Eng. Vincent Sidai, serves as the umbrella organization under which the agencies operate.
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For more information contact: Lamu County Government Communications Office at info@lamu.go.ke
The Honourable Judge H.E. The Deputy Governor Mr. Raphael Munyua The Lamu County Senator Hon Joseph Githuku The County Women Rep Hon. Monica Marubu Members of Parliament – Hon Ruweida Mohamed Obbo & Hon Stanley Muthama Hon. Members of the Lamu County Assembly The Religious Leaders The Women and Youth Leaders My Family and Friends And above all, the great People and Citizens of Lamu County
Bismilahi Rahmani Raheem
The distinguished people of Lamu, I am delighted and humbled to take the oath of the high office of the Governor of Lamu County for the second time. All praises and gratitude are to our Creator and the only One worth of worship, Allah (Subhanuhu wataa’alla). I dedicate this solemn victory and singular honour to my late parents who passed-on in the run-up to this election (in February and May 2022), the Late Sheikh Abdalla Issa Timamy and Mrs. Saada Soud Mohamed. These are the two individuals who have provided me with my true north moral compass and inculcated in me the highest core values and virtues of honesty, integrity, humility, tolerance, persistence and above all hard work. They have equipped me with the tools that have enabled me to be where I am standing today. May Allah grant them the highest station in Janaatul Firdaus.
Brothers and Sisters of Lamu, every five years, our cherished Kenyan democracy gives the ordinary citizen an opportunity to choose their leaders. This is the third time I have contested for the gubernatorial seat and the second time you have honoured me with your confidence. This time, more than the previous two times, you have bestowed on me a historic win, a resounding victory and a clear mandate with over 8,000 votes above my nearest competitor. Thank you the people of Lamu for this unequivocal voice. You have spoken loud and clear. I am truly humbled by the confidence that you the people of Lamu have shown in me. Asanteni Sana!!! “To Whom Much is Given Much is Expected”. I promise to give back much to the Lamu people.
During the campaigns in the last three electoral cycles, I have crisscrossed the entire length and breadth of Lamu County. I traversed the remotest villages, the thickest forests, the driest patches, crossed the oceans to the most far-flung islands and in general visited virtually every part of our County. I have talked to and listened to all segments of society, elders, men, women, youth, and children. I talked to the wealthy and affluent as well as the poor and lowly. I talked with professionals, religious groups and entrepreneurs. From all these discussions, I gathered that the Lamu people wanted someone they can trust to deliver on equity and social justice and who is responsive to their needs. They wanted someone who can give them hope for a better life into their future and that of their children. In all these discussions, I invariably took the promise to honour your quest for a better quality of life. My dream is to see a prosperous Lamu at peace with itself with a good quality of life for all. I therefore, wish to appeal to all of you today and in particular the elected leadership of Lamu present here that our singular objective should be to improve the lives of the Lamu residents. If we are united in this singular call then nothing will be impossible.
Ladies and gentlemen, today I want to tell you in plain language and in crystal clear terms that my becoming a Governor for the second term is NOT to enrich myself, my family or the large circle of friends that I have. The reason is one and only one, I would like to roll up my sleeves and get down to the hard work that will be required to improve the lives of the Lamu citizens. To give the people of Lamu hope that they can elect good and upright people who are not averse to transparency, accountability and integrity. My one desire is to ensure that each and every Lamu citizen feels the change for the better in their lives. My passionate plea to you today is to join me in ensuring we fulfil the promise to the Lamu people for a better quality life. I am reminded of the old adage “Nia Zikiwa Moja, Kilicho Mbali huja”. I am persuaded that it is possible to change our many years of marginalization into shared prosperity for all Lamu residents.
Let me reiterate that, whether you voted for me or not, whether we have agreed or disagreed in the past, today, I am your Governor. Young or old, rich or poor, regardless of where you come from I promise you this: I will work extremely hard and spend every waking hour of every day to build a better life for all of our people. Now that you have given us your vote, you must hold us to account. We will move forward into the future united as never before and with a resolve to shift the ways of yesteryears. Under this administration, the hope for opportunity will begin to be realized. That unity must be based on the recognition that leadership is about the real issues that affect delivery, not the issues of division fuelled by some for political gain.
The era of the winner takes it all is gone. The era of partnership and acrimony has not served the people well. Problems have worsened while too much of the time of our leaders has been spent assigning blame instead of assuming responsibility. Today, we are taking a new direction. Today, a new era of accountability and transparency is here.
Governance and administration is all about the execution of Policies and Programs of Government. Every single sector whether Education, Health, Infrastructure and so on, will rely on the efficiency and effectiveness of the administration. Besides administration calls for absolute discipline, dedication and patriotism. Indeed, the administrators in my government will deliver. We will also desist from ethnicity, corruption and laziness at all costs and we will surely succeed. In our second term of Government and with hindsight and experience gained from our first term, it will not be business as usual. We will never be satisfied with mediocrity and incompetence. Instead we will promote and propagate meritocracy in public service.
We shall not be satisfied until Quality Education is within reach of every young person in the County and we uplift the quality of education our county to match those of the best performing counties. Education is the best equalizer in life. That means we must invest in our public schools, invest in teachers, books and equipment from early education to public universities because Education is the most powerful weapon which you can use to change your life, your country and the world. Lamu County for the past several years has performed dismally in National Examinations both Primary and Secondary and we expect this to shift and change very soon.
We shall not be satisfied until health care is as affordable and accessible to all. That means ensuring that our hospitals are well equipped with the basic treatment facilities and properly staffed in order to deliver better medical care for our people. We do not want to hear that a mother has died due to birth complications or a child has died for any treatable ailments any more. We shall demand that there is a resident Doctor on call at all times at the Lamu King Fahad Hospital and all sub-district hospitals and that specialists will be required to visit the hospitals every so often to deal with specials ailments.
We shall not be satisfied until we create the necessary economic growth that will provide jobs and give people their dignity. Throughout my political career and public life, I have fought for the dignity of the poor and this administration’s efforts to reduce poverty through stimulating job creation will not neglect the dual mission of poverty alleviation for our people who need our help the most. As we are all aware, the Lamu Port is now operational and I pledge to work with the national government, as well as the private sector and civil society, to stimulate local and international investment and ensure that the people of Lamu County are given priority when jobs are created. Only by ensuring that this County creates jobs can we speak of policies providing opportunities. We will do all we can to increase investment in the fishing industry, blue economy, livestock sector and agriculture through planning and marketing. But we will also use opportunities available within the County itself to provide people with skills and jobs.
We shall not be satisfied until tourism is properly managed in our county. Lamu is recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage Centre as a World Heritage Site due to its Outstanding Universal Value. These values are found in our culture and way of life and we must ensure that it is not lost in the allure of easy money. We must ensure that while we want tourism to thrive as an economic earner in our County, we must also protect our priceless heritage, so that we retain the true character of Lamu for future generations.
We shall not be satisfied until there is proper infrastructure development in Lamu especially in terms of piped water, electricity and sanitation. We shall work with the National government to ensure that this infrastructural development is supported and funded.
We shall not be satisfied until our children stop abusing illegal substances, until we have developed and implemented a comprehensive strategy for preventing drug abuse, one that ends the despair felt by too many young people and the fear felt by everybody else, especially parents. This is a major problem affecting the Coast Province and it frustrates me deeply. But I know the answers are out there. So, we will engage the full spectrum of people who work with young people such as educators and law enforcement, the clergy, red-cross, and business leaders, victim advocates, and survivors and whoever is willing to help and support a young person on to a positive future. It threatens our fundamental beliefs as a people and it must stop.
I will also work hand and in hand with the National Government to ensure that we solve the twin issues of natural resource limitations and insecurity occasioned by climate change and recurrent droughts and proximity to neighboring fragile insecure countries.
For my part: I asked to serve as Governor to help solve our County’s problems. I asked to serve because I believe we can do it and we can chart a new course and write a better history for ourselves. I stand here today as Governor completely confident that we are up to the challenge.
Together, we must take the future in our own hands and shape it to our liking.
Together, we can build a stronger economy.
Together, we can build better schools that train our students for a brighter future. Yes, we will provide schools with resources required but we will have to hold the very same schools accountable. We will have to reward excellence, and not tolerate failure.
Together, we can create opportunities and make it easier for the entrepreneur to create new jobs.
Together, we can help our national government be a friend and not a barrier to growth.
Most of all, together we can restore pride in our County. We have the talent, the natural beauty, the rich history, and the even richer character of our people, to be proud of Lamu again.
If we can do these things, Lamu County can indeed be a place to emulate. It will not happen overnight, for our problems did not accumulate in a day. They have been decades in the making.
I pledge to make a difference. And each of you will make a difference too, if you believe in a better tomorrow. I did not come to this office for failure, Believe me, I came here for success. I came here for the kind of success that only comes from putting public service ahead of self-service.
As I traveled throughout the County in the last 12 months looking for your support, I made promises simply put, I will “do what I promised I would do”. So let there be no doubt in this square today or in any corner of this County. I will treat those promises to the people of our County just as solemnly as I will treat my oath of office. I will do exactly what I said I would do over the last year.
And to all of you, I ask you to build this better future with me. I ask you for your help.
Finally,
Unity begins with the realization that none of us has a monopoly of good ideas.
The range of ideas in this County is as broad as our people are diverse. I say to this Government and the people of Lamu County that, as Governor, I will govern in the best interests of all our people.
We will engage constructively with anyone who has a legitimate proposal to improve the lives of the people of Lamu County.
The next five years will be challenging.
The goals of this administration will not be easy to achieve. But with determination, will and the relentless drive to succeed, they are more than possible. I have been given a mandate to lead this County to provide opportunities for all of our people. I am willing and ready, Are you Ready? Are you willing
Thank you!
God Bless You, God Bless Lamu County and God Bless Kenya
Mr. Abdalla Ahmed, Chief Officer Education and Vocational Training, paid a visit to Wiyoni Primary School earlier today, where the County is building an ECDE center with two classrooms and two toilets.
Mr. Abdalla, who was also accompanied by Quantity Surveyor, Mr Edwin, emphasized to the contractor that the work be completed as quickly as possible so that the students can move into their new classrooms and alleviate congestion.
The county has also dispatched one ECDE teacher from the newly recruited team to solve the teacher shortfall at the school.
In the last four years, Governor Fahim Twaha’s administration has implemented a raft of measures to improve access to and improve the quality of early childhood education in Lamu, including the construction of 28 ECDEs, with eight more under construction this fiscal year and two others undergoing refurbishment/renovation, the hiring of trained teachers, training and capacity building for all teachers, and the distribution of teaching materials and furniture, among others.
The County Government’s Phase Two Food Distribution exercise provided relief food to around 650 homes in Matondoni and 150 households in Kipungani Villages in Mkomani Ward.
Governor Fahim Twaha’s program aims to assist needy families who are still suffering from the impacts of the prolonged drought.
Mr Shee Kupi, Director of Disaster Management, and Mkomani Ward MCA Hon. Yahya Ahmed Shee, led the exercise.
Hon Paul Thairu HSC, CECM Education, led other top officials from the Education Department in launching a special competency-based curriculum training for over 55 ECDE teachers in Witu ward today.
Mr. Abdalla Ahmed, Chief Officer of Education, is chairing the program which aims to provide ECDE teachers from both public and private ECDE centers in Witu with skills in;
-Pre-primary CBC framework
-Curriculum design interpretation
-Development of professional documents, such as schemes of work, lesson plans
-Assesment of learning and how to develop assessment tools among others
The administration of Governor Fahim Twaha has remained committed to improving the county’s early childhood education standards by providing infrastructure support, teacher capacity building, the purchase of learning and teaching materials, and the employment of more teachers and ECDE supervisors for coordination and quality assurance, among other things.
Another 112 new instructors were interviewed earlier this year and will be deployed to different schools in the coming days. A new consignment of teaching materials has been ordered, and it will be delivered to ECDEs around the county soon.
The program is also facilitated by Mr. Athman Kheir, ECDE County Coordinator, Mr. Fredrick Mukaria ECDE Supervisor, Witu Ward and Mr. Dan Munjaru, ECDE Supervisor
The Lamu County Public Service Board has officially unveiled the Audit report for the 3rd Human Resource Audit in Lamu County .
Speaking when he launched the Audit report, Mr. Abdalla Fadhili, Chairman Lamu County Public Service Board, explained that, the audit exercise targeted over 100 work stations around the County, and 1,693 personnel were audited in a period of three months .
“We have been able to weigh our compliance with constitutional obligations on public service inclusivity, which is one of our fundamental aims, through the audit exercise. Data collection required three months, followed by four months for data cleaning, processing, analysis, interpretation, and final recommendations” Mr Fadhil stated.
According to the data, the Lamu County Government has employed :
-25 People with Disabilities (1.5%) of the total workforce
-Gender representations is at 59 percent Male and 41 percent Female.
-Youth representation is 48.2 percent.
-Indigenous communities are represented by 67 percent
-Representation of marginalized people stands at 25 staff members(Boni and Sanye) translating to 1.5 percent
According to Mr Fadhil, other core objectives’ for the Audit exercise included the necessity to compare payroll data with data received from the audit survey.
“This audit report has enabled us to find out the total number of County employees and in post per department. We have also done an assessment of skills available in the public service for proper placement within different county departments. We have also successfully assed the composition of staff in the County in terms of employment, need for succession plan, in addition to inclusivity in the Lamu County Public Service Board as stipulated by our constitution” Said Mr Fadhil
CECM Finance, Hon. Abdu Godana received the report on behalf of Governor Fahim Twaha, praising the board’s efforts, stating that, it would aid in improving staff performance. He went on to say that the report indicated Lamu County does not discriminate in hiring because its employees come from more than thirty tribes.
“This Audit Report will assist the County Government in determining the actual number of employees, their work stations, gender, those with disabilities, and those who require promotion, among other issues. This will ensure that the County Government is up to speed on employment law, is compliant, and follows best practices.” Hon. Godana stated
112 County employees did not participate in the audit, according to the report. The board has recommended that Chief Officers in the relevant departments conduct additional inquiries into the existence of the officials in question. Meanwhile, due to non-submission, their pay would be suspended immediately until verified and validated.
The report recommends that the County Government;
-Develops a succession plan matrix that includes promotions, recruiting, upgrades, re-designations, redeployments, and trainings.
-Supervising the recruitment of new personnel in the County to ensure compliance with all applicable regulations and legislation.
– Immediate creation of a County Human Resource Information System to keep up with current HR concerns and trends.
-Development of a framework for the county’s temporary employment management (casuals, contracts, internship, attachee and volunteers)
-Create a county-wide integrated human-resources plan to manage employee retention and the acquisition of unique knowledge through internal and external recruitment.
-Establish a public service career advice and management plan.
– Determine training needs and create a county skill inventory.
In attendance was the CECM Lands, Ahmed Hemed, senior officials from various departments in the County Government, Mkomani Ward MCA Yahya Ahmed Shee among others.
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For more information contact:
Lamu County Government Communications Office at info@lamu.go.ke
For the first time in Lamu County’s history, 100 students from ten schools in Witu, Hongwe, Mkunumbi, Hindi, Kiunga, and Basuba completed a two-day peace training program at the Kenya Coast Guard Service (KCGS) training facility in Mokowe.
The Lamu County Government, through the office of the Governor is leading the program in conjunction with the Centre for Civillians in Conflict. The program strives to build trust and confidence between civilians and military personnel so that civilian harm can be avoided, minimized, and remedied along the Boni operation zone.
The over 100 students drawn from Kiangwe, Kiunga, Ishakani, Mokowe Aridzone, Juhudi, Sese, Lake Kenyatta, Bobo, Kibiboni and Kilimani Primary schools were taken through a number of modules including;
-Children rights
-Child Protection Preventing sexual exploitation and abuse
-Peace, Cohesion and Security,
-Loyalty and Patriotism
-Love and Unity
-Role/importance of security agencies
The program aims to protect, minimize harm, establish trust, and encourage direct engagement between military and residents living along the Boni Forest stretch .
In strong partnership with the Central Government and other organizations, Governor Fahim Twaha’s administration has remained committed to building a more resilient, inclusive, and peaceful Lamu Community.
The peace-building approach as envisioned by Governor Fahim Twaha aims to put children at the centre, strengthening social cohesion, building relationships between communities and the government, and supporting their participation in forging peace and development within their villages .
In attendance was Ms Malika Omar CO Public Service Management who also represented the Governor, County commissioner Mr Irungu macharia, CIVIC Regional Director, Mr. Zlatko Gegic, CIVIC Millitary Adviser, Col(Rtd)Julius Minyori, CIVIC community engagement manager John Okanga, CIVIC Community Engagement officer, Phoebe Cherono.
The KDF team was led by Operation Amani Boni (OAB) CIMIC Officer Major Simon Charagu Kariuki, together with his counterparts from Kenya Navy Commanding Officer KNS Shujaa, Major Faith Mwagandi, Captain (Dr) Emily Gitau and SSgt Naomi Owino
Mine awareness training is presently underway for 25 law enforcement officers in Lamu County. This is an initiative by The Center for Citizens in Conflict in collaboration with the Lamu County Government.
This is part of Hostile Environment Awareness Training (HEAT) for the County enforcement team, an immersive security training designed to enhance their security and safety awareness and enable them to prevent and deal more effectively with risks, challenging situations and security incidents .
International Nurses’ Day is observed every year on May 12th to commemorate the birth of Florence Nightingale, the founder of modern nursing. In Lamu, we dedicate an entire week to honoring our nurses as an invaluable resource in our health care sector and raising awareness of their work and challenges.
This year’s International Nurse’s Day theme, Nurses: A Voice to Lead – Invest in Nursing and Respect Rights to Secure Global Health, could not be more appropriate.
Throughout the global Pandemic, nurses in Lamu made great sacrifices, acted courageously, and recommitted everyday to combat a global health threat unmatched in modern times, serving as a vital pillar supporting our health care system through one of the most trying times.
We most sincerely appreciate and celebrate all nurses in Lamu County and thank them for their unwavering dedication in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic.
Lamu County has historically been plagued by shortage of nurses, something my government has been working to alleviate since we assumed office. By the end of 2016, Lamu County had just 116 nurses spread over all of our health facilities in the ten wards, an insufficient number that occasioned acute shortage affecting quality of health services, particularly in remote health centers.
So far, my government has hired another 167 nurses, increasing the total number of nurses to 283 by 2022. As we speak, interviews are underway to engage 18 additional nurses to provide personnel for the operationalization of our new dispensaries as well as the capacity building of existing ones, such as Witu Health Center, which recently launched theatre services.
For the past four years, we’ve demonstrated that investing in nurses pays off; hiring more nurses and promoting 65 percent of the County’s nurses has resulted in a threefold increase in improved health outcomes.
Almost all of our nurses have received COVID-19 and COVID vaccine training. We also released 22 of our nurses in 2018 to pursue higher education and specialization, in areas like anesthesia, opthalmology, psychiatric, critical care, pediatric nursing among others . In 2022, 45% of all medical personnel released for higher education are also nurses .This is a deliberate move to allow nurses to advance their careers while simultaneously improving health care.
My government has financed four nurses for specialization in Paediatric Critical Care in preparation for the operationalization of our ICU center, and I am pleased to say that one has returned to our hospital after completing their studies. Three of the 18 new nurses who will be hired in the coming weeks will also be critical care nurses who will work in our ICU.
Nurses in Lamu, like their counterparts around the world, continue to play an important role in primary health care, frequently serving as a patient’s first – and only – point of contact. They help with our research, disease prevention, injury treatment, and palliative care, among other things. On the front lines of disease prevention and treatment, they are our truly unsung heroes.
Emphasizing the true value of our nurses, and the central role they play in influencing change, is clearly transforming the future of health care in Lamu.
My Government commits to continue making necessary investment to help improve the attractiveness of the nursing profession in Lamu through purchase of proper equipment, better health infrastructure/ working environment, equal and fair opportunities for promotion, upskilling opportunities, and job creation.
