By KPC Team
The United States will continue to support development projects in Kisii County.
The assurance was made by the country’s ambassador to Kenya Meg Whitman during her recent two-day visit of South Nyanza ended.
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Whitman met leaders and toured various projects, with an aim of finding areas for continued cooperation between her country and Kisii County Government.
She observed that Kisii has a high potential in agriculture and promised to come up with interventions aimed at revamping the sector.
Other sectors that her government is keen on uplifting are health and commerce.
Revamping the sectors would bring about employment opportunities for the youths and general wellness of the society.
During a joint press briefing with the ambassador, Kisii County Governor Simba Arati urged the US to continue supporting development of the county.
“We are looking forward to hearing from you as regards to your involvement in the business of this county,” said Arati.
He noted that the US is already exploring how to revamp the pyrethrum value chain, which, he explained, has since deteriorated.
“She (the ambassador) is ready to see how we can properly revamp the pyrethrum that we had before. Our coffee, banana, avocado, and soapstone in South Mugirango and parts of Bobasi also need their support,” said Governor Arati.
The US has already made an investment worth $80 million dollars, mostly on health and agriculture within Kisii County, explained Ms Whitman
“We now have a program for technology in health, support for children, and Western Kenya sanitation project,” said the ambassador.
During her tour of duty, the US official visited EcoBana, the award-winning Kenyan Climate Innovation Centre that manufactures biodegradable sanitary towels using banana fibres.
The innovation, which was catapulted to optimal performance after winning millions from the Hult Prize Foundation in 2022, is adding value to banana stocks that were initially used to either feed livestock or left to decay.
The sanitary towels are providing women and Persons Living with Disabilities (PLWDs) with an eco-friendly and affordable solution for menstrual hygiene management.
Kisii is known for the production of bananas in the country and this enables EcoBana to find readily available and cheap raw materials for their innovation.
Unlike most sanitary products that do not decay, EcoBana products decay shortly after they are disposed of, a fact that has earned it the Cleantech Innovation bragging rights world over.
Ms Whitman visited the home of Soapstone in Tabaka, committing to explore increased access to the use market for the soapstone art.
At Kisii University, the envoy held fireside talks with students where they explored possible exchange programmes with US University.
She met business leaders, academics and agronomists; with every discussion aiming at how to spur sectoral growth in a manner that impacts lives within the devolved unit.
The diplomat toured the Kisii Teaching and Referral Hospital (KTRH)’s maternity ward and the HIV/AIDS clinic and took stock of the extent of US-supported programmes and their impact on the lives of mothers and other patients.
In the meantime, Ms Whitman told journalists that her government has overtime eased visa restrictions to Kenyans, allowing many Kenyans to shuttle between the two countries.
“The waiting time has significantly reduced from two years to three months. Though still not sufficiently good enough, the current waiting time frame for a single application marks an important step in boosting movement between the two states,” said the diplomat.
Kisii is one of the top regions in diaspora remittances in the entire country.
She promised that her government is still doing more to enhance and improve issuance of visas.
