Bukhayo North/Walatsi ward representative has applauded the introduction of devolution , citing that it has fueled development at grassroots level. Speaking to West FM during the gross fire program, Mr Gardy Jakaa Obura mentioned some of the achievements his ward has achieved, which include improved infrastructure, health and education sectors since the government was devolved.
“The state of roads in my ward was poor but through the Ward Development Fund some major roads in my ward are accessible, “said Jakaa.
In the education sector, he said before he was elected, it wasn’t a norm for a student from his ward to join university but through offering support to students from humble backgrounds, 30 students from his ward have joined public universities and they are committed to ensure the numbers increase.
On the issue of shortage of teachers in schools, Jakaa said they have supported 40 students from Bukhayo north/Walatsi ward to join a Teachers Training College, he expects the move to ease the burden of shortage of teachers in the ward. He also said 34 students are getting special bursary through the Ward Development Fund, and they expect a good performance from them. “We’ve been having teachers from neighboring counties but because of the previous state of our ward, they have cited difficult working conditions, and as a result have applied for transfers to other places, and for this reason, we decided to support our own children in order to salvage our education sector in our ward,” said Mr. Gardy.
He said as a result of supporting the education sector, the standards in his ward have improved and now more students are joining university. He further said they are determined to ensure that polytechnics are equipped to cater for students who had not been privileged to join secondary school and higher education institutions, “Through the Ward Development Fund we have allocated 2 million shillings to facilitate Lupida and Igara youth polytechnics,” said Jakaa.
Concerning the health sector Jakaa said initially his ward was mostly affected by malaria and typhoid but through programs set up by the Ministry of Health, free mosquito nets were issued and as a result, malaria cases have reduced. He also said drilling of boreholes in his ward has enabled residents to get access to clean water hence reducing typhoid infections in his area of administration.
He urged the county health department to address the matter of drugs shortage that is being perpetuated by medics, and bring them to justice, “We are aware some of the medical practitioners are involved in drug mishandling and I advice the authority in charge of health in the county to conduct an abrupt inspection to deal with the root of the issue.”
About Agriculture, Jakaa said this year they were expecting a plentiful harvest but due to hostile climatic conditions, maize plantations were affected, and he urged farmers not to rely only on maize, but to also cultivate crops such as millet and cassava which are drought resistant.
He said tobacco farmers are having a hard time due to payment delays by the respective tobacco company, but through the Ministry of Agriculture both at National and county level, they are having discussions to see the matter is solved and the farmers are paid their dues.
He also blamed the national government for delaying the release of money meant for development, “Contractors are having a hard time, they haven’t been paid on time because the central government is using delaying tactics to sabotage our work at county level,” said Jakaa.
On matters of politics, Jakaa dismissed the crusade of Luhya unity saying that the region is home to many tribes, and that they have to advocate for Western region unity rather than singling one tribe in the region.