Administration, corporate services and stakeholder management

The department is charged with responsibility of ensuring effective delivery of both headquarter and field administrative services. It also has a mandate of ensuring effective corporate governance of Kisii County Government and stakeholder management. It is divided into two main sections, the corporate services, and the stakeholder management. It works towards a vision of being a leading department in public policy formulation, implementation, coordination, supervision and prudent resource management. The department in corporate services sector, it focuses on the following functionalities:
1. Special Program Policies
2. County Policing Authority
3. Administration
4. Coordination of decentralized units- urban and rural areas.
5. Communication
6. Stakeholders Management
7. County Security
8. Disaster Management and emergency response coordination
9. Follow up of the Implementation of County & National Policies
10. County Forums
11. Corporate Services
12. Coordinate participation of Communities in governance at the local level
It has prioritized its services in the following areas:
⦁ Construction of County Offices
⦁ Purchase of ICT networking and communication equipment
⦁ Installation of County website and other communication services
⦁ County media services
⦁ Consultancy Services
⦁ Establish Administrative Units
⦁ Develop service delivery framework
⦁ Coordinate participation of Communities in governance at the local level
The stakeholder management function dwells in supporting the County’s strategic objectives by interpreting and in turn influencing the external and internal environments and by nurturing a fruitful relationship with Stakeholders through appropriate management of their prospects and agreed objectives. This will go a long way in enabling an environment that will steer the implementation of County projects and policies. The stakeholders consist of:

• The residents of the county;
• The rate payers of the county
• Any resident civic organization or non-governmental, private sector or labor organization with an interest in the governance of the county
• Non-resident persons who because of their temporary presence in the county make use of services or facilities provided by the county.

The department so far has consult and cooperate with its stakeholders for the success of the county. It has also organized principles that governs the management and the stakeholders.

Land, Housing, Physical Planning, and Urban Development

The department works toward a vision of being excellence in land management for sustainable development in Kisii county. It has a mandate to formulate and implement land policy, undertake physical planning, register land transactions, undertake land surveys and mapping, land adjudication and settlement and valuation and administration of state and trust land. Ownership of land in Kisii county is either private or public. However, most of the land is privately owned as freehold and is mainly used for subsistence farming. 35 percent of surveyed land in Kisii County has title deeds. The land sector has 3 technical and one administrative division; namely, Land Administration Division, Land Registration Division, Land Valuation Division and General Administration Division.

Its main functions include:

• Alienation of public land in liaison with National Land Commission
• Development control
• Preparation and issuance of titles and registration of land transactions and other legal documents
• Generation and collection of revenue.
• Custody and maintenance of land records
• Provision of advisory and technical services on land matters
• Preservation of public utility land and fragile ecosystems
• Resolution of boundary and land disputes.

The housing section of the county works with a vision of providing excellent, affordable, adequate and quality housing for Kenyans.

The main functions of the section are:

1. Valuation and rental assessment for government houses
2. Identification of office space and residential accommodation for county and national government functions, negotiation, preparation and administration of leases
3. Preparation and implementation of maintenance work plans for pool, institutional and disciplined forces houses
4. Monitoring and evaluation of maintenance projects and programs
5. Categorization and registration of government houses
6. Board of survey for government houses

The main housing types in the County are mud/wood houses; brick/block houses; mud/cement houses; stone houses; and, timber houses. In Kisii County, 77 percent of houses have earth floors; 21 percent cement floors; 1 percent have wooden floors; and, less than 1 percent have tile floors. In terms of roofing material, 83 percent have corrugated iron sheet roofs; 12 percent grass and makuti roofs; and, 1 percent have concrete roofs. There is need, therefore, for the County to promote modern and affordable housing technologies so as to meet the high demand of housing which is in line with “the Big Four Plan” of the National Government.
Survey and mapping sector’s functions are:

• Surveying for production of small scale topographic maps.
• Approving all mutation surveys
• Resolving boundary disputes
• Implementation of court orders
• Maintenance and storage of survey records.
• Provision of grid control for cadastral survey
• Survey of new grant surveys and reestablishment of survey beacons.

The physical planning section has the following functions

•  Interpretation and Implementation of the Physical Planning Act (Cap 286), and any other law(s) that may be enacted to guide the physical planning functions.
• Provision of advice to the national and county government on spatial planning matters.
• Preparation and approval of local spatial developments which include
• Integrated cities/urban development plans
• Towns/local centers development plans
• Special areas plans
• Subject/ thematic plans
• Vetting and verification of building plans, regulation of the use of land, execution of development control and preservation orders.
• Provision of advice on matters concerning land alienation to the National Land Commission and County governments and appropriate use of land such as change of user, extension of user, extension of lease, subdivision of land, amalgamation of land, and processing of environmental impact assessment
• Management and maintenance of physical planning records and data bank,
• Resolving conflicts arising from physical planning processes
• Initiating and undertaking research on urbanization strategies and policies
• Collaborating with local, regional, international stakeholders and National Land Commission and County Governments on matters related to physical planning.
• Monitoring, reporting and tracking

It has achieved the following:

1.  Developed a departmental strategic plan.
2. Installed over 360 solar powered streetlights and eight high mast lights in Kisii Town spurring the growth of a 24-hour economy. Additionally, over 430 solar streetlights in 52 trading centres and 34 high mast lights were also installed.
3. Reclaimed public land
4. Contracted youth groups to conduct regular clean-ups in major urban centres.
5. Built urban roads in major urban centres
6. Built pedestrian walkways and backstreet roads in Kisii Town using cabro.
7. Constructed 15 washrooms across the urban centres in the County for traders and members of the public.
8. Initiated the preparation of Ogembo Integrated Strategic Urban Plan.
9. Approved building plans within the County.
10. Constructed and rehabilitated urban roads within urban centres.
11. Resolved land conflict issues.
12. Construted car was for the youth at Daraja Moja and Getacho.
13. Constructed abolution blocks in urban centres

Energy, Water, Environment and Natural Resources

The department is divided into the following sectors

I. Energy Sector
II. Environment and Natural Resources Sector
III. Water Sector
IV. Forestry Sector
Kisii County is densely populated. Small-holder intensive agriculture is dominant. Kisii Energy Centre uses two strategies in energy management. These are demand and supply management. Under demand management strategy, the focus is on reduction on demand of wood fuel consumption through the use of improved cook stoves that save energy while supply management strategy puts emphasis on supply of wood fuel by promoting agro forestry tree species as source of fuel. he main sources of lighting in the County are paraffin, solar and electricity. According to 2015/16 KIHBS Basic Report, 56.9 percent of households use parafin, 29.5 percent use electricity, 12.3 percent use solar, 0.3 percent use generator, and 1.0 percent use other forms of lighting. The high dependence of kerosene has led to high respiratory tract and eye infections due to the fumes. The report further indicates that 76.3 percent of households use firewood as a source of cooking fuel compared to 54.6 percent nationally, 10.3 percent use charcoal, 6.8 percent use Liquefied Petroleum Gas (LPG), 4.3 percent use kerosene, 1.0 percent use electricity and one percent use other forms of energy. This higher usage of firewood has led to the depletion of forest cover
which has negatively impacted the environment.

The sector has a mandate to do the following:

• Promote energy conservation and develop relevant alternative renewable energy technologies such as energy saving Cook stoves, Maendeleo/portable Jiko, Biogas, and Solar.
• Training on alternative energy efficiency strategies
• Sensitize, develop and disseminate appropriate agro forestry technologies
• Increase and improve accessibility of tree seeds/seedlings in the community
• Produce and distribute tree seedlings and seed of appropriate agro forestry/wood fuel species
• Develop and establish effective collaboration in  extension of  services through GOK Agencies, NGOs and other tree planting groups / organizations and relevant stake holder.

The environment sector functions include

•  Coordinating the various environmental management activities being undertaken by the lead agencies
• Promote the integration of environmental considerations into development policies, plans, programmes and projects, with a view to ensuring the proper management and rational utilization of environmental resources, on sustainable yield basis, for the improvement of the quality of human life in Kenya.
• To take stock of the natural resources in Kenya and their utilization and conservation.
• Mobilize and monitor the use of financial and human resources for environmental management.

Environment

The major contributor to environmental degradation is cultivation on fragile areas such as steep slopes, wetlands, riparian reserves and quarrying activities for hard core and ballast. Cultivation and planting of eucalyptus trees also occurs along all the rivers in the County; this has led to soil erosion, declining water tables, and drying of springs and rivers. The quarrying activities are mostly pronounced in areas such as Kiogoro and Masongo in
Nyaribari Chache; Kenyerere in Bobasi; Gesonso in Bonchari; and at Tabaka in South Mugirango. This has led to landslides and soil erosion hence reduced productivity.
The major environmental threats in the county include deforestation, raw discharges of effluent and poor farming practices which cause loss of biodiversity. Deforestation and poor farming practices leave the soil bare making it prone to soil erosion. Raw discharge of effluent from factories, sewerage systems and urban centres into the rivers like Riana and Nyakomisaro, can result to chronic health diseases to people and livestock that depend on them.
There is need to enforce environmental laws, adopt good farming practices, and invest in solid, liquid and e-waste management to mitigate on effects of environmental degradation.
The Water and sanitation is fully devolved to the county government under the docket of Energy, Environment, Water and Natural Resources. The sector has planned for water and sewer reticulation; water kiosks (water points); rain water harvesting; and, rivers regeneration. The sector is responsible for:

1. Management of water resources,
2. Provision of water services
3. Provision water storage services
4. Land reclamation services.
5. Capacity building for the institutions

The forestry section has a mandate to provide for the establishment, development and sustainable management, including conservation and rational utilization of forest resources for environmental protection and sociology-economic development of the county.

The section has the following functions

1.  To sustainably manage natural forests for social, economic and environmental benefits
2. Increase productivity of industrial forest plantations and enhance efficiency in woo utilization.
3. Create awareness of forest values and products
4. Promote farm forestry, dry lands forestry and commercial tree farming
5. Promote efficient utilization and marketing of forest products
6. To protect forestry resources and KFS property
7. To develop and maintain essential infrastructure for effective forest management and protection.

The department has achieved the following

1.  Developed a departmental Stragetic Plan.
2. Protected 675 water springs serving over 23,625 households and institutions.
3. Contributed to rain water harvesting by procuring and distributing 192 in number 10,000L water tanks with a capacity to harvest 2.3 million litres of water at any one given time. These tanks were distributed to 192 county schools and institutions. These tanks are helping over 70,000 learners in schools with 1,920,000 Litres.
4. Drilled and equipped 35 boreholes some of which are water schemes. 960 households are served by these boreholes.
5. 18 water schemes were completed with a pipeline network of 85 km. A total of 210 water
   points were constructed from these schemes serving 4,200 households.
6. 15 water tanks were constructed with an average capacity of 40,000 litres thus enhancing county water storage capacity to 620,000 litres of water.
7. 24 water management committees were trained on community water management skills thus improving on management of rural water supplies. This will contribute to eventually having sustainably operated rural water supplies.
8. Supported the Water service provider GWASCO in keeping its mandate by enhancing its human resource capacity, enhancement of water and sewerage network and payment of electricity bills to a tune of Ksh 60 Million in Kegati, Ogembo and Tabaka water supplies.
9. Supported and facilitated implementation of 8 No. boreholes and 1 No. Water project funded by the national government, donors and Public Benefit Organizations.
10. Overall, within the period the department contributed to reduction of distance of households reaching the nearest water source from 3 to 1.5 Km and increased the percentage of the population accessible to clean and portable water from 46% to 56%.
11. With funding from UN HABITAT and the county government, a strategy on solid waste management was developed which inter alia recommended the establishment of a solid waste management directorate and built capacity of youth’s entrepreneurial skills in solid waste recycling. Small equipment were installed at ATC for training youths on plastic waste recycling.
12. In order to improve tree cover in the county, the department partnered with a Civil Society Organisation, The Million Trees Kisii and others to plant over one million tree seedlings in the county.
13. Through ten World Water and Environment days, the department sensitized people in the county on protection of wetlands, riparian lands and water catchment areas.
14. The department mobilized residents of Kisii Town and students from universities in the
    clean-up of River Nyakomisaro.
15. For the first time since independence, the department together with the National government hosted the World Nile day under the Nile Basin Initiative (NBI) where County citizens were sensitized on protection of Nile Basin. NBI used the opportunity to enhance understanding of Nile Cooperation as a catalyst for Regional integration within the basin.
16. The department rehabilitated and reclaimed deteriorated land, turned into an unwanted
    wetland in Mokubo area of Bomachoge Borabu Sub-County at a cost of about Ksh 5
    million. The people in the area are now able to use the land for community development
    activities like office construction and a dispensary.

Roads, Public Works and Transport

The department headed by the County Executive Committee Member who oversees the day to day management and administrative activities. In order to execute its mandate, the Sector is organized into three (3) departments namely, Roads, Public Works, and Transport. It has a mandate to provide and manage Engineering works and services within the jurisdiction of the County. These works and services include development and maintenance of infrastructure, maintenance of motor vehicles and heavy equipment, licensing of public motor vehicles and development control.
The public work sector is divided into six sections, namely: – Administration, Architecture, Structures, Quantity Surveying, Electrical Engineering and Mechanical Engineering (BS).

It is responsible for: –

•  Designing and supervising other departments’ works;
• Designing the structural works for buildings and footbridges;
• Designing and supervising electrical and Mechanical services for building works;
• Preparation of Bills of Quantities for tendering process;
• Coordination and preparation of facilities for state functions and Presidential visits within the county.
• Maintaining a record of all the registered contractors in the County;
• Keeping and maintaining inventory of Government property.

The Mechanical Engineering Sector offers the following services in the county:

• Provision of road construction and maintenance of equipment.
• Provision of Transport services.
• Advise on procurement and disposal of vehicles and equipment.
• Inspection and identification of private garages suitable for repairing GKs and County vehicles, plant and equipment.
• Assessment of transport charges for Government officers who are proceeding on transfer.
• Valuation of vehicles, plant and equipment for the following purposes: –
• Determine resale value for disposal.
• Security in courts of law
• Insurance
• Loans for public servants desiring to purchase used vehicles
• Suitability/occupational testing of drivers and plant operators for employment & promotion in the public sector.
• Inspection of improved second hand vehicles for conformity to Kenya Bureau of Standards KEBS 1515-2000 specifications for road worthiness.
• Inspection of Government vehicles and equipment for: –
• Maintenance, repairs and disposal.
• Post-inspection to check quality and conformity of repairs requirements.
• Inspection of damages and losses caused by accident, abuse and misuse of equipment with view of establishing liability.
• Preparation of technical specifications and tender documents for purchase of vehicles, plant, tools, equipment and machinery and other related materials.
• Pre-delivery inspections of vehicles, plant, tools, equipment and machinery to ensure adherence to clients’ technical specifications.

The roads and transport Sector is responsible for

• Design and construction of new roads within the county;
• Maintenance of both rural and urban roads within the county;
• Construction of county bridges; and
• Protection of county road reserves.
• Planning of traffic flow;
• Licensing of motor vehicles;
• Provision and management of bus terminus within urban areas

The department achieved the following;

1. Prepared departmental Strategic Plan.
2. Opened and graded over 1,000 kilometres of roads.
3. Graveled over 850 kilometres.
4. Constructed a bus park at Keumbu (on-going).
5. Purchased road construction equipment (four tippers, three graders, three excavators, three drum rollers, and a shovel).
6. Constructed 14 wooden footbridges and 3 steel girded footbridges with over 24 metre effective spans.
7. Prepared bills of quantities for departments.
8.  Designed and approved structural works in the County.

Culture, Sports, Youth and Social Services

The department is divided into the following sectors

1. Gender and social development
2. Culture
3. Youth development and empowerment
4. Children services
5. Sports

The sports sector is headed by the sports  director  and Sports Officers at the county and sub county level respectively. The sub section plays a key role in poverty reduction through creation of direct employment and related investment opportunities and is also an important vehicle for information dissemination on matters of national interest. Sports also play a key role in creating opportunities for individuals and communities to play and work together thus creating a cohesive society that is an essential base for a strong and prosperous nation.

The Gender and Social Development sector has the following functions:

• Mainstreaming gender issues  and empowerment of women.
• Promotion of women rights economic empowerment
• Reduction of Gender Based Violence and abandonment of Female Genital Mutilation Genital Mutilation (FGM)
• Empower individuals and communities
• Social economic empowerment of vulnerable individuals and groups.

It also looks at the social welfare of the people in the community and thus set Programmes in it including:

•  Social protection programmes: Flagship projects
• Cash Transfer to Older persons . – Ksh. 2000/ per person per month paid bimonthly.
• Cash Transfer to Persons Living with Disabilities.- Ksh. 2000/ per person per month paid bimonthly.
• Supply of sun screen lotion to Persons Living with Albinism (PLWAs) – (under process/ not started)

The culture sector performs the following functions:

• Promotion and development of all aspects of performing arts, music acrobatics dances, traditional games through capacity building.
• Promotion of languages and traditional practices harmonious with national development aspirations.
• Promotion and development of visual arts/literary artist and their creative works through capacity building exhibitions, culture exchange programs and other promotion strategies.
• Promotion and development of traditional medicine, indigenous foods preservation and conservation of environment in line with national development aspirations.
• Promotion of culture education documentation and dissemination of cultural information and research findings.
• Mobilization and management of human financial and other resources for national development.

Youth development and empowerment sector visualizes an innovative, creative and vibrant youth building a better Kenya. It strives to promote holistic development of the youth, to make them self-reliant, fully integrated and productive to the society.
It also outlines the issues and challenges affecting the Kenyan youth, and the subsequent interventions by the department under the identified strategic themes including :

• Youth and Employment;
• Youth Empowerment and Participation;
• Youth and ICT;
• Youth and Health;
• Youth Crime and Drugs;
• Youth and Environment;
• Youth and Gender;
• Youth and special Needs;
• Youth Leisure, Recreation, Community Service;
• Guidance and Consultancy Services and Youth Exchange Programmes.

It performs the following functions:

• Promote youth development by designing policies and programmes that build young peoples’ capacity to resist risk factors and enhance protective factors;
•  Facilitate the establishment of the National Youth Council (NYC), to coordinate, monitor, advocate and promote youth issues and youth led initiatives;
• Coordination of youth organizations in the country to ensure youth development through structured organizations, collaboration and networking;
•  Develop Youth Empowerment Centres and revive Kenya Association of Youth Centres;
• Oversee the operation of the Youth Enterprise Fund.
• Develop and promote Youth owned SMEs.
• Ensure mainstreaming of Youth issues and concerns in all policies and programmes
• Ensure mainstreaming of Youth issues and concerns in all policies and programmes

The children department originally started as Children’s Services now in the Ministry of labour, social security and services can be traced back to the Colonial era, when it existed as a Juvenile Correctional Institution. The sector draws its mandate from the constitution of Kenya under section 53 and the children’s Act 2001.

Its functions include:

• Advocating for the rights of children.
•  Enhancing Child Participation
• Rehabilitation Services
• Charitable Children’s Institutions
• Alternative Family Care Services
• Cash Transfer to Orphans and Vulnerable Children

The department achieved the following

1. Developed departmental Strategic Plan.
2. Purchased a card printer to facilitate registration and identification of Persons with Disability.
3. Developed Social Protection Policy iv. Established Disability Fund, Youth and Women Empwerment Fund, Affirmative Fund and NHIF (Social Protection).
4. Established and equipped Abagusii Culture and Development Council (ACDC) office.
5. Launched Ekegusii Dictionary.
6. Started construction of social halls at Tabaka, Mosocho, Nyanturago, Nyamache, Suneka and Kenyenya.
7. Rehabilitated Gusii Stadium to promote sporting activities.
8. Leveled playgrounds across the County.
9. Constructed two libraries (Ogembo and Kenyenya).

Education, Labour and Manpower Development

One of the key functions of the County government outlined is Pre-Primary, Village Polytechnics, Home craft centers and Childcare facilities. The core function of this department focuses on the young and youthful citizens of this county. This specifically includes their welfare which comprises of their education, employment, personal health and self-reliance. Kisii County, through this department sector has put in place elaborate strategies whose intentions are to educate, train and empower the youth who play a critical role in the development of the county.
Early Childhood Development Education is one of the departments in Education Labour and Manpower

It has three main levels which include: –

Level I       –       baby class (2-3) years
Level II      –       Nursery (3-4) years
Level III     –       Pre-unit (5-6) years

The ECD programme officers are responsible for all activities and resources related to ECD at Sub-County (SC) level. There are 9SCs in Kisii County. The provision of ECD services involve households, community and government efforts in the holistic development of children 0-5 years’ age range.
Pre-School Education
In 2012, the population of this age group is estimated is estimated to be 226,880 and 257,834 in 2015. In order to adequately serve the interest of this age cohort, there is need to expandand make accessible the early childhood development centres especially in the rural areas.  There are 904 ECD centres in the county with 1184 teachers. This indicates that each centre is having 251 children; this number is too big for one centre to give quality attention.
Primary Education
The population of this age group is 312,844 representing about 25.5 percent of the total population of the county. The increasing population of this age group calls for increased investment in basic education facilities and to develop more vocational training facilities to absorb dropouts. There are 467 primary schools in the county with 6,278 teachers. The teacher student ratio is 1:50 and enrollment in 2012 is 311, 700 with a transition rate of 90%.
Literacy
The literacy levels among adults in the county are high. The overall illiteracy rate the county stands at 10.45%. Attempts have been made to spread adult education in the county but these efforts have been thwarted by men who feel shy that they will be considered illiterate. Women in the county have of course shown some remarkable acceptance of adult classes mainly due to group advice and encouragement amongst themselves. The government is also making efforts of employing adult teachers on permanent basis. According to 2009 Population and Housing census, 27,151 males and 19,631 females had gone through basic education while 465,107 males and 502,953 females were in school. A total of 44,434 males and 74,063 had never attended school. The literacy is relatively high in the county, estimated at 89.5%.
Secondary Education
The population for the secondary age going is 131,821 with 66,328 males and 65,493 females representing 10.7 per cent of the total population of the county.  The increasing population of this age group implies that the county will need to create openings in training institutions as well as employment opportunities to absorb them.  There are 334 secondary schools both private and public in the county and 3,940 teachers and a teacher student ratio of 1:48. The number of enrolled students is 189,120 with a dropout rate of 6%.  This group is currently the potential labour force and the challenges are to ensure that jobs are available to absorb those who will not pursue further education.  The challenge is to ensure they acquire the necessary skills for the competitive job market.
Tertiary Education
The youthful population represents 31.4% of the total county population. Sixty one per cent (61%) of the unemployed persons in the county are within this age group. This calls for the county to implement projects and programmes that will address unemployment including capacity building on entrepreneurship so that they can be self-employed and effectively contribute to the socio-economic development of the county. The county has the following universities and colleges:

1. Beam international training centre
2. Gusii institute of Technology
3. Intraglobal training institute
4. Jomo Kenyatta University of Agriculture and Technology
5. Kisii university
6. Mount Kenya University

Youth Polytechnics
There are 49 youth polytechnics with a total population of 3,882 trainees. Plans are being put in
place towards revitalizing and staffing of the polytechnics across the County and this is expected
to enhance enrolment and offer quality courses in the institutions. The department is critical towards the realization of Vision 2030 and the MDGs as it strives to develop a sound skills-base of the youth by increasing their accessibility to quality training and transfer of skills, besides ensuring the establishment of a sound policy and legal framework for sustainable skills development and creation of linkages with the production sector. The county also needs to scale up campaigns against drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infections.

Access, equity and quality of education services in this sub-sector are constrained by various factors, which include insufficient number of trained teachers and care givers, inadequate number of ECD Centers, limited availability of teaching and learning/play materials, limited community participation, low morale of teaching staff due to poor remuneration, poor enforcement of ECD standards and inadequate nutrition and health support services. The government has been providing community support grants in terms of instructional materials, infrastructure and top-up salaries for ECD teachers in 10 public ECD centers per constituency.

Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Cooperative Development

The department has a mandate is to promote and facilitate promotion of food and agricultural raw materials for food security and income, advance agro – based industries and agricultural exports; and enhance sustainable use of land resources as a basis for agricultural enterprises. The County produces food and cash crops. The food crops include maize, beans, finger millet, bananas, sweet potatoes, cassava, arrow roots, sorghum, tomatoes, carrots, avocados and vegetables. The cash crops include coffee, tea, pyrethrum and sugarcane.

The agriculture sector’s function include

1. Formulation, implementation and monitoring of agricultural legislations, regulations and policies.
2. Provision of agricultural extension services
3.  Supporting agricultural research and promoting and promoting technology delivery.
4. Facilitating and representing agricultural stakeholders and public-private partnerships in the county government.
5. Development, implementation and coordination of programs in the agricultural sector.
6. Regulating and quality control of inputs, produce and products from the agricultural sector.
7. Management and control of pests and diseases in crops.
8. Promoting management and conservation of the natural resource base for agriculture.
9. Collecting, maintaining information on the agricultural sector.

The livestock section is required to promote, regulate and facilitate livestock production for socio-economic development and industrialization. In veterinary sector the department Prevent and control animal diseases and pests to safe guard human health, improve animal welfare, increase livestock productivity, ensure high quality livestock and their products and facilitate domestic and international trade. Fishing in the county is not too popular however the department has a mandate to provide for the exploration, exploitation, utilization, management development and conservation of fisheries resources and undertake research in marine and fresh water fisheries. Cooperative sector has a mandate to provide a commercially oriented Cooperative sector through an enabling policy and legal framework for sustainable socio–economic development

The department has achieved the following so far:

1. Developed a departmental Stragetic Plan.
2. Introduced subsidized AI services (from KShs. 3,000 to KShs.500).
3.  Conducted vaccination campaigns against foot and mouth, lumpy skin, black quarter & anthrax, rabies, Newcastle, fowl pox and gumboro diseases (over 500,000 animals across the county).
4. Purchased motorcycles for extension services.
5.  Purchased and distributed dairy goats to farmer groups across the wards
6. Purchased and distributed 6,672 local poultry to farmers, 2,250 bullets together with 2,250 cages to schools as breeding stock.
7.  Purchased and distributed beehives across the County.
8. Purchased and distributed rabbits breeding stocks in all 9 sub-counties.
9. Purchased and distributed to farmers an assortment of farm tools and equipment including: – drenching guns, chaff cutters, foot pumps, strip cutters, deep freezers, feed choppers, hay boxes, thermometers, fridges, cooler boxes, chicken feeders, drinkers, lactometers, knapsack sprayers, weighing bands, poly tubes and AI kits.
10. Set up a greenhouse demonstration kit at the Agricultural Training Centre (ATC) where farmers are trained on how to use this technology for better yields.
11. Distributed 83 green house kits to farmers/schools.
12. Procured and distributed 55,000 tissue culture suckers and grafted avocado seedlings to farmers in all the 45 Wards to promote food security and income generation.
13.  Procured and distributed soil sampling and testing kits across the Wards.
14. Constructed fishponds and distributed fingerlings and fish feed to farmers in all 45 Wards.
15. Procured and issued out 2 local fish feed manufacturing units and issued to beneficiaries in South Mugirango and Bobasi Sub Counties.
16. On-going construction of the fresh fish market in Kisii Town.
17.  Completed a fish Multiplication & Demonstration Centre in Ogembo Town and an
    ongoing construction of a similar facility in Bomorenda Ward in Bonchari Sub County.
18.  On-going construction of hall at the County Fish Multiplication & Training Centre in Kisii Town.
19. Disbursed a contribution of KShs.30 million to the Kenya Tea Development Agency (KTDA) to support the proposed construction of a tea factory at Sombogo.

Trade and Industry

Trade constitutes a key and highly productive sub sector of the Kenyan economy. It has strong linkages with other sectors of the economy and contributes towards employment and wealth creation. The department has a mandate to promote domestic trade through creation of an enabling business and investment environment. Its main functions are:

• Domestic Trade Development Policy
• Promotion of retail and wholesale markets
• Development of micro, small and medium enterprises
• Private sector Development

The County has several major markets namely: Daraja Mbili, Kegogi, Etago, Mogonga, Keroka, Ogembo, Suneka, Kenyenya, Nyamache, Marani, Riosiri, Masimba, Tabaka, Nyacheki, Mosocho, Keroka and Keumbu. There are also several market centres spread in the nine constituencies which can be developed in order to decongest Kisii Town. Kisii County has an industrial park at Daraja Mbili constructed through the Rural Industrial Development Centre (RIDC) programme of the Kenya Industrial Estate. Kisii county has several factories that engage in tea processing, coffee pulping confectioneries and water bottling. There are also several different types of businesses in the county

Finance and Economic Planning

It coordinates County government departments/entities in the preparation of the annual County budget. It is the responsibility of the department to initiate and guide all sectors to prepare their budgets. The department also provides Accounting, Auditing, IT, Insurance, Pensions, Procurement.

It has the mandate to do the following

• To Implement Financial and Economic policies in the county
• Annual budget preparation
• Resource mobilization
• Managing County Government’s public debt and other obligations & developing debt control framework
• Consolidating Annual appropriation accounts and other financial statements of the County Government Custodian of the inventory of County Government Assets
• Ensure compliance with accounting standards prescribed by Accounting Standards Board
• Ensure proper management and control of, and accounting for the finances of the County Government and its entities in order to promote efficient and effective use of county budgetary resources

It has achieved a lot including

• Developed a departmental strategic Plan.
• Successfully coordinated the formulation and implementation of County budget estimates and mobilization of resources for funding budgetary requirements.
•  Offered advisory on financial and policy matters to all County government entities.
• Coordinated appropriate County enhancing policies and plans.
• Coordinated the development of Strategic Plans for County departments.
• Monitored government procurement practices to ensure compliance with laid down regulations.
• Facilitated accountability, governance and oversight by promoting efficient, transparent, economic and effective resource management.

Health Services

The department has a mandate to support the attainment of the highest attainable medical care and sanitation services that will improve lives of the Kisii county population at all levels of health care delivery. Kisii County has a population of about 1,161,269 categorized with a population growth rate of about 21 (Nyanza Region). The population is served by the following Health Facilities: 32 community Health Units, 84 Dispensaries, 28 Health Centres and 14 Hospitals. On staffing, the county has 41 Doctors and 504 Nurses among other Health Workers. Common causes of Morbidity include Malaria, Diarrhea, Skin Diseases and Respiratory. Many of these conditions also common contribute to high of mortality. The immunization coverage rate in the County stood at 97 percent in 2016 but has since dropped to 57.3 percent in 2017, reflecting a decline trend due to the prolonged nurses’ strike. There is need to increase awareness interventions to ensure 100 percent immunization through public sensitization on the importance of immunization. This will aim at reducing child mortality rates in the County and hence accelerate the achievement of Sustainable Development Goal (SDG)3. In maternity health, skilled deliveries stand at 88 percent with maternal mortality reported at 27 per 1,000 live births with 123 health facilities providing delivery services in the County. All the health facilities are under the ‘Linda-Mama’ program which offers free maternity services for women under NHIF cover. There is, therefore, need to ensure that all child-bearing women are members of this scheme so as to benefit from this service.