Government Initiatives to Address Administrative Delays and Infrastructure Challenges
Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen has made a significant commitment to Kenyans, promising that the government will take steps to operationalise several administrative units that have been delayed for nearly a decade during this financial year. His announcement came during the Jukwaa la Usalama programme in Bomet County, where he emphasized the need for progress in addressing long-standing issues.
Murkomen expressed concern over the fact that some administrative units, which were gazetted in 2016 and 2017, remain inactive. He pointed out that the main reason behind this delay is budgetary constraints. According to him, these challenges have also led to some chiefs who were hired a few years ago not receiving their salaries.
“Part of the reason why some of the administrative units that were gazetted in 2016-2017 are still pending is due to budgetary allocations,” he explained. “Even in this meeting, there are chiefs who were hired two years ago and are yet to get a salary because of these challenges. The more you subdivide a location, the more money you need to run the new location, so some of them have been delayed.”
Despite these challenges, Murkomen assured that the Ministry is set to begin the process of operationalising these units from next week. He mentioned that the approach will be based on a first-in, first-out basis, given the limited funds available this financial year.
He added that the issue of pending administrative units has been raised across almost all the counties visited during the Jukwaa la Usalama programme. This initiative aims to foster engagement between government officers and members of the public at the grassroots level.
In addition to administrative reforms, Murkomen highlighted the government’s efforts to modernise police stations and construct offices for administrative areas. He noted that some of the existing buildings date back to the colonial era, and there is a pressing need to provide better environments for both police officers and administrative staff.
“We have infrastructural challenges here, but they are manageable,” he said. “We want to construct more presentable county offices for administrators, and we believe that process will commence soon and be completed before the end of the financial year. The aim is to provide proper facilities that will help our officers carry out their responsibilities effectively. This approach will also be replicated in police stations.”
Murkomen further outlined plans to build well-equipped police stations with proper offices, decent holding cells, and secure storage for materials, evidence, and sensitive information. He reiterated the government's commitment to ensuring that officers work in a conducive and dignified environment.
Progress on Development Projects
During the event, Murkomen also took the opportunity to assess ongoing development projects under President William Ruto’s administration. These include roads and stadiums in Kericho and Bomet counties. He expressed satisfaction with the progress being made on several government projects promised by the President.
“There are about six or seven markets currently at the initial stages of construction, and we believe they will be completed within this financial year,” he stated. Additionally, he highlighted the progress of the Affordable Housing Project in Bomet County, which is approximately 97% complete. President Ruto is expected to officiate the handover of the 200 units in the coming weeks.
On infrastructure, Murkomen confirmed that all the roads promised in the region are in the early stages of implementation. He noted that the construction of the major 100-kilometre road is ongoing. “I’m happy to report that the construction of the major 100-kilometre road is ongoing,” he said. He also mentioned that contractors have returned to the sites following the recent securitisation of the Roads Maintenance Levy, with the Ministry of Roads having paid all the contractors and resuming work across all the sites.