From milk coolers to tents and chairs: Inside Kirinyaga's community empowerment plan

Kirinyaga County is now banking on a raft of projects to drive its grassroots economic empowerment initiatives.

Governor Anne Waiguru on Wednesday said the initiatives, ranging from agricultural to water and community support equipment, aim to improve livelihoods across the county.

Waiguru said the interventions are part of the county government's commitment to accelerating economic empowerment by investing in projects directly identified and prioritised by residents through public participation and their respective Members of County Assembly.

She spoke during the distribution of a consignment of milk coolers, which are expected to significantly reduce post-harvest milk losses, improve quality and enable farmers to earn better returns from their produce

The governor noted that besides the milk coolers, the county also issued tractors, water pipes and accessories for community water projects, coffee seedlings, a Sh20 million financial support to ward-based Saccos, tents, chairs, wheelchairs, catering equipment, car wash machines, public address systems, blankets and other empowerment tools.

"Each of these initiatives has been carefully designed to address real needs in our wards and uplift the lives of our people. They are projects prioritised by residents together with their MCAs and are meant to strengthen livelihoods, improve incomes and enhance service delivery," she said.

Principal Secretary for Livestock Development Jonathan Mueke said the 13 milk coolers were delivered following Governor Waiguru's request to President William Ruto.

"Your governor asked the President for milk coolers, and he sent me here today with 13 coolers because he wants to ensure our farmers increase production, preserve their milk, earn more income and educate their children," said Mueke.

He said the Sh90 million investment will enable more than 17,000 dairy farmers to preserve over 35,000 litres of milk every day, significantly reducing post-harvest losses.

According to Mueke, the national government is implementing quality-based milk payment reforms that will see farmers earn up to Sh60 per litre for high-quality milk, up from Sh43.

The PS further highlighted ongoing national interventions in the livestock sector, including subsidised artificial insemination using sexed semen, whose cost has dropped from Sh8,000 to Sh1,000, and the national livestock vaccination programme, noting that vaccination against Foot and Mouth Disease now costs Sh50 following a presidential subsidy from the previous Sh150.

He said so far Kirinyaga has received a total of 23 milk coolers under the first two phases of the programme and said President Ruto has directed that every dairy cooperative in the county should eventually have a milk cooler.

The 13 milk coolers will benefit dairy farmers in Kabare, Mutira, Kiine, Njukiini, Nyangati, Kangai, Ngariama, Baragwi, Karumandi, Murinduko and Mukure wards.

The county further disbursed Sh20 million to its 20 ward-based Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies (Saccos), with each ward receiving Sh1 million.

The programme, Waiguru said, will benefit 9,312 farmers, enabling the Saccos to expand affordable credit, savings and investment opportunities for farmers and agribusiness entrepreneurs while strengthening aggregation, value addition and market linkages across agricultural value chains.

She said continued investment in farmer extension services, soil testing, subsidised fertiliser and improved agronomic practices has transformed the county into Kenya's leading coffee producer in both quality and farmer earnings.

She said the interventions have significantly increased productivity, with a single coffee bush now producing between five and seven kilograms, while farmers are earning the highest returns in the country.

To further modernise agriculture, the county also handed over a fully equipped tractor complete with a trailer, disc plough and moldboard plough to the Kirinyaga County Agricultural Technical and Vocational Education and Training Centre (KATVET).

Waiguru noted that the mechanisation programme is expected to improve farming efficiency, lower production costs and enhance food security while benefiting approximately 20,000 farmers across the county.

She also invested heavily in water infrastructure by distributing 4,397 UPVC water pipes, 108 rolls of 100-metre HDPE pipes and 581 fittings to facilitate implementation of 29 community water projects across ten wards.

The projects, targeting approximately 7,800 households, are expected to improve access to clean drinking water, support irrigation, reduce reliance on rain-fed agriculture and strengthen communities' resilience against climate change and recurring drought.

As part of its social and economic empowerment programme, the county also distributed assorted equipment and support items to more than 4,000 households across 16 wards.

The items included tents and chairs, wheelchairs, motorbikes, catering items, reflector jackets for boda boda groups, sanitary towels, sausage and egg vending trolleys, a car wash machine for a youth group, a public address system for a welfare group, water storage drums and energy-saving cooking stoves among others.

County Assembly Speaker Muteti Murimi lauded the empowerment initiatives, saying they have transformed livelihoods across the county.

He said the empowerment programme complements the county's broader development agenda and reflects her administration's commitment to completing key projects while strengthening household incomes and improving the welfare of residents.