Education, Gender, Culture, andSocial Services

The county government set this department aside to ensure that matters education, Gender, culture, and social services and handled. Education in Kiambu county is given priority as there is an effort in constructing more schools and policies on consequences of parents who are not taking their children to school. In the county, the total number of ECD teachers is 1,843 and the teacher to pupil ratio is 1:40. There are 513 ECDE centers. In the ECDE setting, most of the teachers are under parents’ payment which is likely to lower the quality of education at this level. The department is working hard to ensure that it pushes the matter to the National government so that they may be provided by enough ECDE teachers and those available be recognized by the government. Kiambu county has 1225 primary schools with 576 being public and 349 being private. There is 21,090 and the teacher to pupil ratio is 1:38. The total enrolment rate is 295,409 pupils. The county has 303 secondary schools consisting of 227 public and 76 private schools with a total enrolment rate of 89,065.

There is one public University in the county which is Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology located in Juja Constituency. There is also two satellite campuses namely the University of Nairobi, Kikuyu campus in Kikuyu sub-county, and Kenyatta University. Ruiru campus in Ruiru Sub County. The county has six private universities which include Gretsa University, Mount Kenya University, St. Paul‘s University, Kiriri Women‘s Science and Technology University and Presbyterian University of East Africa, Zitech University in Ruiru, and a number of tertiary colleges. The department has put effort into education as it has funded schools in infrastructure development programs well known as devolved funds. This includes Constituency Development Fund (CDF) and Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF). The department has also been giving out bursaries to students from less advantaged families. This has facilitated in the growth of education in the county. the literacy level in Kiambu county is at 95.4 percent of the total population. This is an indication that education is highly valued in the county and prioritized.

On matters of cultural,  and social services, the department has put in strategies to promote preserve and maintain positive and diverse culture for national identity. The department and the National Museums of Kenya have started mapping out cultural and heritage sites for rehabilitation. They have identified some cultural sites including the Church of the Torch, Mensa, Watson Scott Memorial, Ngecha Art Centre, Paradise Lost Sanctuary, and Mau Mau caves. It is also working closely with the Kenya National Library Service (KNLS) to establish a library in the devolved unit so residents can access information on different cultures or do research.

Agriculture, Livestock and Irrigation

The department works towards a vision of providing healthy, securing food, and having a prosperous County. Agriculture is among the leading economic activities in Kiambu county contributing to 17.4% of the total county income. It is the leading sub-sector in terms of employment, food security, income earnings, and overall contribution to the socio-economic well-being of the people. The sector has a total of 304,449 livelihoods which it has directly and indirectly employed. This is a big percentage compared to the total population of the county. Maize, beans, pineapples, and Irish potatoes are the main food crops grown in county. the areas that mainly engage in crop farming include the highlands of Limuru, Kikuyu, Gatundu North, and South Constituencies. The crops are mainly grown on a small scale.

The county has 21,447 Ha is under food crops and a total of 35,367.41 Ha is under cash crops. Food harvests in the county are stored in National Cereals and Produce Board silos, on-farm storage, granaries, and also in-house storage. However, the small-scale farmers mainly grow the crops for consumption and it is always too little for storage. There is animal rearing in the agricultural department as the farmers engage in cattle, sheep, goat, poultry, donkey and Camel.  Rwaburu irrigation scheme in Gatundu sub-county was established with an aim of improving food security in the county, increasing income level through employment, and increasing agricultural productivity. Horticultural crop production plays an important role in the economy of Kiambu County. Major vegetables include French beans, snow peas, kales, cabbage, garden peas, tomatoes, spinach, and carrot among others. Herbs and spices grown include dhania, basil, mint, rosemary, parsley, and asparagus and are marketed within the country while others are for the export market.

The department has been supporting agricultural activities in the county by providing essential services to the farmers. It provides crops and animals husbandry services through improved technology. The department also offers financial services such as loans and farm equipment to increase the agricultural productivity level. It has also been offering communal dipping and spraying operations and vaccination campaigns, and control of plant pests, diseases and noxious weeds that are specific to counties. the county also has an agricultural Training Center (ATC) in Githunguri which hosts both residential and non-residential farmer trainings. Eighty greenhouses and fish ponds have been set up as demonstration farms and are spread across the sub-counties. Agricultural Mechanization Service (AMS) based in Ruiru is an
institution providing mechanization services to farmers across the county. Agricultural  Technology Development Centre in Ruiru provides training to farmers.

Finance, ICT, and Economic Planning

The department of finance ICT & Economic Planning in the county is the department that ensures that projects and plans of other departments are passed and implemented through the provision of necessary funds prioritizing necessary projects. The department facilitates and coordinates the County revenue collection, budgeting processes, economic planning process Procurement, and supply chain management Internal Audit, and provide leadership in the implementation of finance and economic policies. The department has managed in budgeting the county funds without failure.  However, it encounters a challenge of insufficient funds to satisfy all the departments. The department has achieved coordinating other departments comply with financial regulations. It has also has facilitated in promotion of the use of ICT and provision of relevant information. All the financing and economic activities are easily stored and approved through the use of technology as it is easy to save the financial records and refer back. The department has facilitated the economic planning of the county hence growth. Through the proper financial planning and revenue collection, the county has been able to utilize its resources well hence ranked among the richest counties.

Health and Sanitation

The department is in charge of ensuring that the resident has access to affordable healthcare services. The department comprises of different subsectors including Nursing, Health Records, Clinical, Partnerships & Information, Laboratories, Public Health among others. The department has so far shown commitment to ensuring that the services are of quality and are accessible to every citizen. It has invested in the establishment of specialized medical centers.

Kiambu county has a total of 364 health facilities. Under the public healthcare facilities, Kiambu county has one level-five hospital namely Thika District Hospital, three level-4 in Gatundu South, Kiambaa and Kikuyu Constituencies, four level-three in Gatundu North, Juja, Kiambaa, and Limuru Constituencies. There are 20 level-two (Health Centres) and 54 level-ones also known as dispensaries which are well distributed within the county. The rest of the facilities are private with 17 Mission Hospitals, five nursing homes, 36 dispensaries, and 169 private clinics. The county has a doctor/population ratio of  1:17,000 and the nurse/population ratio stands at 1:1,300.

The residents are mostly affected by flu as the most prevalent disease. This accounts for 35.3 percent of the total hospital visits. The county generally does not have serious health problems and thus a low infant mortality rate. The county immunization coverage stands at 90 percent with the remaining population not being covered due to various reasons such as religious beliefs. All public institutions provide immunization services hence the high rate of immunization coverage. Most of the women in the county have accepted family planning methods, thus, currently stands at 85 percent in the county. This partially explains the lower population growth rate in the county as most of the women in the reproductive age group understand the importance of and practice family planning. More efforts need to be put in place to ensure that the remaining women of reproductive age accept and start using various methods of family planning. The department has put more effort into health care facilities.

Water, Environment, and Natural Resources

Kiambu County is endowed with both surface and groundwater resources. The county has sixteen permanent rivers originating from Aberdare Ranges, which is the main water tower for the county. The major rivers that meet the county water demand are; Ndarugũ, Thiririka, Ruiru, Kamiti and Kiu. Kiambu County has a total of eight main licensed water management institutions. In the county, 46% of the population is not currently served by Water Service Providers (WSPs). These areas are served by Community Based Organizations (CBOs), private water operators, and direct abstraction from the surface and groundwater sources. To achieve sustainable development goals, it has ensured availability and sustainable management of water and sanitation for all.

The county is using several strategies to ensure and policy measures in water. This includes; Strengthening reporting systems by WSPs. Increasing investment in human resources for the sector, developing and implementing a water resource mobilization strategy, ensuring and ring-fence water sector revenue, Promoting bottom-up budget preparation, Lobbying for more budgetary allocation in water resources management, Creating and institutionalizing a county water sector fund among others. In sanitation, the county considered as 60% urban with numerous peri-urban centres mushrooming rapidly due to land-use changes. There are twelve main urban centers within the county out of which five, namely, Thika, Kiambu, Limuru, Ruiru, and Juja urban centers have convectional sewer treatment systems. Apart from Ruiru and Juja treatment works the rest of the treatment works are old and currently treating beyond their design limits. Kiambu sewer treatment works was constructed in 1974 with a design capacity of 1,000m3/day.

The county the following improvement in Juja and Thika; Construction of 77km of trunk and reticulation sewers in Juja and Thika towns, Construction of 12No. Thika ponds (6,522m³/day), Modification of existing Thika ponds. Garbage collection and disposal around the urban centers within the county of Kiambu is at 75%. The average number of residents in a household is 5persons/household, with an average daily waste discharge of 0.53 to 0.65kg/person/day (JICA, 2010). Seventy-two (72) private firms and 26 registered youth groups complement Kiambu county government in waste collection.

Trade, Tourism, Industries, and Enterprise Development

The department projects for implementation included Construction, Rehabilitation and Renovation of Markets; Construction of BodaBoda sheds; Trade promotion and Investment; Industrial development and investment; Standardization and Metrology of enterprises; Tourism Promotion, Development and Marketing; Tourism Product Development and Management; Cooperative Development and Management and Co-operative Auditing. So far there are 23 markets that have been constructed and renovated.

Partnership with World Bank to construct 7 modern markets in Kikuyu, Githurai, Kihara, Kiambu, Ruiru, Juja, and Thika (Madaraka) towns was also established and preliminary activities completed for four markets. The department participated in 6 Trade fairs/forums. In Trade Development, 33 Business Groups numbering over 80 individual entrepreneurs against a target of 100 groups underwent training on value addition and Business management. To promote fair trade, the department created awareness and enforced legal metrology Act where 41,381 weights were measured and standardized. Sensitization on the benefits of co-operative was carried out and 2,648 members reached through Ushirika Events in Kiambu, Ruiru, Gatundu, and Thika and showcasing forums at KICC on manufacturing, agro-processing, and value addition. As a result of these interventions, the sector achieved and exceeded its target of reviving dormant cooperatives and registration of new cooperatives that included the bringing together of BodaBoda operators at the established BodaBoda sheds to form Co-operative Societies.

Under Tourism Development and promotion, the department participated in 6 exhibitions and marketing forums which include Kenya Tourism Week, Magical Kenya Expo, International Coffee Day Celebration, Tourism Stakeholder Forum, Tree Planting and Clean up at 14 Falls and UNCTAD. It also coordinated and organized miss Tourism Kiambu and participated in Miss Tourism Kenya. The county is well endowed with industries mostly located in Thika and Ruiru Constituencies. Thika Town constituency has several industries namely Bidco Oil Industries, Thika Motor Vehicle dealers, Thika Pharmaceutical Manufacturers Limited, Devki Steel Mills, Broadway Bakeries, Kenblest Industry, Kel Chemicals, Thika Rubber Industries Limited, Macadamia Nuts, Campwell Industry and Kenya Tanning Extracts Limited. In Ruiru constituency, the major industries include Clay Works as well as Spinners and Spinners. The Bata Shoe Factory which is the country‘s major producer of leather products is located in Limuru constituency. The industries play a big role in employment.

Roads, Transport, and Public Works

The department comprises of following sectors; County Roads & Transport Directorate, County Public Works Directorate, County Utilities Directorate. It has set goals of ensuring the county is well connected with an efficient, safe, and reliable all-weather road network and Busparks, providing safe, clean energy lighting and fire, disaster and emergency response in the county, providing and maintaining safe, healthy, and efficient green buildings, civil works and rural footbridges.

The department in collaboration with the Kenya roads authority offers the following services; Fire prevention, rescue, and recovery, training on fire prevention and disaster management, formulation of policy, fire prevention and disaster management, planning, design, and implementation of Street lighting and flood lighting, maintenance of County electrical installations and power plants, promotion of Renewable energy, rural electrification, formulation and enforcement of County energy policy, energy auditing. The department has invested in; Construction of 200Km of bituminous roads by 2018, construction of 3,500 km of gravel rural access roads by 2018, construction and rehabilitation of 25 motorable bridges within the County by 2018, provision of none motorized transport(NMT) system, construct, man and equip twelve, 24 hour Fire stations by 2019 (one fire station per Sub-county) among others. It has policies to construct and manage the roads, markets, and other constructions under maintenance.

Youth Affairs, Sports, and Communication

The Department comprises three sub-sectors namely; Youth Affairs, Sports, and Communication. This Department plays its tactical role in the County’s transformation and economic development through the promotion and development of youth and sports for a vibrant sporting industry and empowered youth. The department works towards achieving the following goals; Promoting youth employment, enhancing youth empowerment and participation, promoting youth education and training, promoting youth and health, reducing youths’ crime, drugs, and substance abuse, promoting a clean and healthy environment for the youth, promoting youth leisure, recreation, and community services, promoting sports and sports development, enhancing human and financial resource management.

The department promoted sports through the provision of sports equipment including balls, uniforms, and nets to clubs and sports associations; Renovated 41 playing fields, is currently in the process (final procurement stages) of refurbishment of Thika Stadium and Kirigiti Stadium and is in the process of undertaking renovation of Limuru and Ruiru Stadiums (currently on the initial procurement stages).

The Kiambu County Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities Enterprise Development Fund (KIAMBU BIASHARA FUND) is derived from the Kiambu County Youth, Women and Persons with Disabilities Enterprise Development Act 2014. It targets to empower the youth, women, and persons with disabilities from all wards to access capital for enterprise start-ups and the expansion of already existing businesses. The Kiambu Biashara Fund is meant for both groups and individuals. It has a long repayment period and does not attract any interest. There are several projects the department has done such as the construction of Karatu Stadium Gatundu South Sub-County.

Administration, and Public Services

The department is entitled to the following functions;

1. General administration
2. Human Resource Management
3. Enforcement of laws
4. Betting, Lotteries, and Gaming Control
5. Alcoholic Drinks Regulation and Control
6. Legal services
7. Public Participation
8. Disaster Management and Special Programs

The department has a set  of goals which include;

1. To provide quality treatment, rehabilitation, and awareness in relation to alcohol and substance abuse.
2. To enhance responsible betting and curb illegal gambling
3. Improve public participation and create citizen awareness on services offered by the County government.
4. To provide effective and efficient services through guided formulation and implementation of the regulatory framework to the public.
5. To develop and maintain an effective and efficient county workforce.
6. To maintain well-coordinated enforcement and inspectorate services.

The department is engaged in; engaging the public on participation during projects/programs prioritization and legislation
It is also applying preventive science as a measure to fight alcohol and substance abuse during meetings and workshops.
And Public meetings and forums to sensitize the public against illegal gambling

Land, Housing, Physical Planning and Urban Development

The department of land, housing, and physical planning have been set up. Physical planners and Surveyors have been stationed in each sub-county. The department has been able to;

1. Harmonization of the approval process and enhanced revenue generation.
2. E-Development Application and Management Systems (e-DAMS) have been embraced for the purposes of enhancing service delivery, promoting transparency and accountability.
3. Sensitization workshops through print media and land clinics in Kikuyu, Juja, Karuri, Kabete Sub-Counties to enhance create awareness and good perception of the public on departmental matters.
4. Preparation of Kiambu county draft Valuation rolls
5. Preparation for land database for area rating
6. Valuation for land acquisition purposes
7. Setting up of GIS which has enhanced inventory of public land and mapping of sub-county wards and headquarters, health centers, and stadiums.
8. Inventory of county houses, urban Renewal, and partial completion of renovation work for departmental headquarters at Red Nova.
9. Promotion of slum upgrading initiatives such as support of the ongoing project on mapping informal settlements, being implemented through KISIP and KENSUP and the complete project in Shauri Yako slum, Kikuyu sub-county.

For more information

https://kiambu.go.ke/about-us/

https://maarifa.cog.go.ke/resource/cidp-kiambu-2018-2022