Government officials urged to collaborate on Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda

DEBORAH BOCHERE- KNA

Regional and county government officers have been urged to collaborate in the execution of the Bottom-Up Economic Trans formation Agenda (BETA) development projects. 

Principal Administrative Secretary at the Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Juliana Yiapan, while touring Nyamira County to assess the progress and status of BETA projects, said that government project super visors who work in silos impede the steady progress of projects meant to benefit citizens. 

“BETA projects are designed to enable efficient service delivery to ordinary citizens, reaching down to their villages. A multi-agency approach in supervising the progress of these projects to completion is the best method, as it makes it easier to address any bottlenecks that may arise during construction,” Ms. Yia pan said. 

“The Public-Private Partnerships (PPP) that the government has decided to embrace to fast-track the implementation of these projects must be mutually beneficial. 

The contractors, who are the private partners undertaking the construction work, must be closely super vised by the government to ensure value for money.

“It is professional when supervision of BETA projects is done through a multi-agency approach, a show of good which gives the private partner confidence and trust that he is fully supported by the government,” the PAS added. 

She warned project supervisors against shifting blame or giving flimsy excuses when projects are stalled, or contractors undertake substandard work without being corrected.

 Their supervision objective is to ensure that the government’s interests are taken care of, and resources optimally utilized when implementing projects. 

“Escalate any matter which is be yond your mandate to be rectified before it gets out of hand, the county commissioners and regional commissioners are more than ready to coordinate project implementation supervisors and contractors cordially implement their projects within the stipulated timelines without any unnecessary impeding circumstances,” she said. 

Yiapan commended officers from the Government Delivery Unit (GDS) under the Office of the Chief of Staff in the State Department of Performance and Delivery Management at the Ministry of Public Service for their tireless efforts in monitoring, evaluating and timely reports on the status of BETA projects not just in Nyamira County but the entire country. 

She confirmed that their reports have enabled cabinet secretaries in all government ministries to have a true picture of the status of each project and necessary actions to be initiated to ensure the projects are fully completed and commissioned to of fer services to targeted beneficiaries. 

Nyanza Regional Commissioner, Ms, Flora Mworoa affirmed that the Ministry of Internal Security and National Administration, part of the high delegation monitoring BETA projects in the region affirmed that county commissioners within her region of jurisdiction are more than ready to coordinate and mobilize relevant stakeholders towards ensuring that recommended standards of BETA projects are completed to help this country’s citizens who are the target beneficiaries. 

Ms Yiapan confirmed that most BETA projects in Nyamira County are in various percentages of completion, she assured that the County Management Implementation Over sight Committee (CMIOC) chaired by the county commissioner will closely fast track all these projects to ensure they attain the 100 per cent completion status. 

“Nyamira County commissioner is fully mandated to know the status of all BETA projects in the county. The stalled, ongoing, completed, await ing commissioning, and those which require intervention by the CMIOC to be completed. I am optimistic that a combined effort by all of us will enable our President to deliver on his BETA manifesto to citizens of this country,” Ms. Yiapan affirmed. 

Development projects in Nyamira in the BETA manifesto include up grading to bitumen standards and maintenance of four 33.3 kilometers interchange roads in Kitutu Masaba Constituency which are: Geka no-Nyangori-Rigoma-Amabuko, Motemomwamu-Ngenyi-manga, Gekano-Girango, Gekano-Motur mesi-Birongo roads worth 33.3 kilometers road projects worth Sh1.2 billion. 

The other project is the construction of Level Four Keroka Hospital in Kitutu Masaba worth Sh400 million which has an in-patient block (accident and emergency block), theatre and a consulting clinic.