By Suleiman Mbatiah
Religious institutions are important partners in delivering social services, pushing for accountability and driving national development, Governor Susan Kihika has said.
The Governor commended faith-based organisations for their strong presence in education, healthcare and humanitarian work. She said they often fill critical gaps left by the State.
Kihika spoke during the Nakuru County Annual Prayer Breakfast at Nakuru Girls Senior School on Wednesday. The event was organised by the Nakuru Christian Leaders Fellowship.
“Leadership without God risks losing its moral direction. This forum provides an opportunity for reflection, unity and accountability,” the Governor said while highlighting the spiritual nourishment role.
The Governor was accompanied by her deputy, David Kones, and top county managers. The event also brought together Members of the County Assembly, the business community and security agencies.
While outlining her administration’s key achievements across key sectors, she reaffirmed her commitment to servant leadership anchored on faith, integrity and inclusive development.
In health, she said her office has allocated 40 per cent of its annual budget to healthcare since 2022. The county now operates 16 Primary Care Networks connecting 219 spokes and 391 community units.
The networks serve over 12,000 residents with preventive and curative services. Digital health initiatives have seen 14 facilities across 11 sub-counties adopt electronic medical records.
The county has established 93 maternity units, including new and expanded facilities in Kiptangwany, Barut, Mau Narok, Dundori and Lanet. Teenage pregnancies have dropped from 18 to 12 per cent.
The setting up and opening of the Bondeni Maternity Theatre, in a hospital established in 1958, she said, had brought lifesaving surgeries closer to residents, especially from low-income areas.
In agriculture, the Governor reiterated its economic value in the county’s economy. The county has expanded dairy, pyrethrum, avocado, coffee, maize, potato and edible oil value chains.
The county has so far distributed 34.5 million pyrethrum seedlings worth Sh146 million to 11,000 farmers. It has also distributed over 394,000 grafted avocado seedlings valued at Sh131 million to more than 17,000 farmers.
In livestock production, she highlighted, the county has installed and operationalised 10 cooling plants. Plans are underway to install more. Official data shows that the County has 466,800 dairy cattle producing 318 million litres of milk worth Sh13.9 billion in 2024.
She took pride in a Sh10 million subsidised artificial insemination programme that she said has strengthened the sector through improved breeds and sexing. The county has conducted 155,267 livestock vaccinations.
In water, her administration has drilled over 80 new boreholes and expanded solarised water systems. The county has built 23 water kiosks, raising clean water coverage from 59.2 per cent to 62.3 per cent.
“Infrastructure projects under the Imarisha Barabara programme continue to enhance connectivity. The county has graded 513km of roads and gravelled 383km,” she highlighted.
At the same time, the County has built over 10 bridges and installed 206 streetlights. Urban roads in Nakuru City, Rhonda, Biashara and Flamingo are complete.
She also took time to report on the progress in education, where she noted that early Childhood Development and Education centres have increased from 1,003 to 1,068.
“A school feeding programme now supports over 65,900 learners daily, while vocational training centres have expanded to 41, boosting youth enrolment and skills development,” she said.
The county has disbursed Sh952 million in bursaries to over 140,000 students since 2022. Vocational Training Centres have grown from 33 to 40, serving 5,421 students.