By Arnold Ageta
Nyamira Governor Amos Nyaribo has today responded to the issues raised by the Gen Zs through a petition to his office.
The issues, which were termed as the reasons behind the recent demonstrations against his leadership, were presented in a meeting with the youths at the West Mugirango CDF Hall in Nyamira Town.
The petition presented to the governor contained 21 issues in total, and the governor addressed them one by one before a question and answer session with the Gen Zs.
The Gen Zs, who had been calling on the governor to fire Chief Executive Committee Member for Youths, Gender, Sports, and Culture, Dr. Grace Nyamongo, had petitioned the governor to explain why Manga Stadium had taken so long to be completed and opened for use.
Answering the issue, Governor Nyaribo stated that the stadium is being constructed in phases, with phases 1 and 2 completed and phase 3 soon to be done.
“The construction of the main stand was awarded in the 2018-2019 financial year, which included a pavilion with a VIP lounge, media room, boardrooms, washrooms, changing rooms, kitchen, and other works,” the governor clarified.
These, he said, were completed in the 2023-2024 financial year and are now ready for handover and use.
He added that the football pitch and running track contracts, which were awarded in the same financial year, are 95 percent complete and will be fully completed by the end of next month.
He said the stadium would be commissioned for use after next month and the whole project will have cost the county KES 189 million.
On the issue of the lack of youth social activities in the county, the governor said social events would soon be initiated, which will include a structured league for ball games from the ward level.
“The annual marathon will be revived in a more inclusive format to develop homegrown talent,” said Nyaribo. “Miss and Mr. Nyamira Beauty contests will also be reintroduced to tap into talent in the beauty industry.”
The petition also demanded the firing of all county officers over the age of 60 to create room for a youthful workforce in the county, but the governor brushed it off, saying it is illegal to do so.
“The law does not allow discrimination of officers in appointive positions on grounds of age. The county complies with all policies regarding the retirement of civil servants,” he told the youths.
He, however, said that the county is committed to employing youths in its workforce, saying that he will in the future consider employing youths in the youth directorate to spearhead youth-friendly activities.
“On new appointments, 70 percent of entry-level staff employed by the county government are youths, and we will continue to do this whenever opportunities arise,” he pledged.
He clarified that he has not employed relatives or employed staff silently, as alleged in the petition. He said all vacant positions are advertised in the media and on the County Public Service Board (CPSB) website portal for all to access.
He also stated that he does not have the power to fire the County Public Service Board members, saying the only organ that can do so is the County Assembly.
“If you have evidence of corrupt CPSB staff, present it to the relevant legal entities and petition the County Assembly for action,” he advised them.
Further, he said that the county complies with the requirements of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, which provides for 30 percent reservation of tenders for the youths, women, and people living with disabilities.
“We encourage more youths to register companies to take advantage of the existing opportunities to do business with the government,” he said.
He assured the Gen Zs that their issue of equipping all hospitals in the county with enough essential commodities would be improved.
He said drugs and non-pharmaceuticals have been allocated KES 150 million in this financial year to address the issue. “All health facilities currently have adequate drugs and reproductive health commodities that are key in service delivery,” he said.
This did not go down well with the youths, who claimed that he was not telling the truth.
Shadrack Kinara, a Township Ward youth, objected to the governor’s claim, saying that many patients are sent to buy medicines from chemists because the hospital pharmacies do not have them.
“I feel that the governor is not telling the truth because if you go to Nyamira Referral Hospital, you will not get all prescribed drugs in their pharmacy,” he said. “You will be given some and told to buy the rest from the chemists.”
Kinara, a former Maseno University Student Union President, said they were not satisfied with the governor’s response and would plan more demonstrations and prepare a petition to the county assembly.
On the issue of redesigning Nyamira urban areas and establishing a CBD and streets, the governor said the county spatial plan is currently at the County Assembly for approval.
“The Nyamira Municipality Spatial Plan that provides a development road map was done and passed by the County Assembly, and it is the one guiding the upgrading of the backstreets to bitumen standards, including the Shivling-Senator Kebaso-Cooperative Bank road,” he said.
He blamed the vandalism of street lighting, which has caused the town to be in darkness. He said the youths are involved in the vandalism and stealing of batteries.
“We have experienced significant challenges with vandalism of the lights, and this inhibits our resources to increase coverage, as funds available continue to be spent on repairs and maintenance,” the governor decried.
Governor Nyaribo asked the youths not to be used by his political competitors to destroy infrastructure, as was recently witnessed during their demonstrations.
Meanwhile, the youths have vowed to resume their demonstrations because they were not satisfied with the governor’s response. They said they would seek help from the County Assembly in the coming week to present their petition.
