Isiolo Teaching & Referral Hospital ( ICTRH ) Accident and Emergency Center is fast approaching finality.
The Center that is expected to house Casualty, Intensive Care Unit, HDU, MRI and many other worthy facilities, whose construction commenced towards end of 2022 is sure to elevate the status of Isiolo County Teaching and Referral Hospital and elevate the healthy livelihood of the Isiolo population beyond reproach.
Indeed Governor Abdi GUYO’S focus towards improving livelihoods is real and he will stop at nothing to deliver at unprecedented level.
Meanwhile, The Isiolo County Secretary Mr. Dhade Boru, this morning made an impromptu visit to ICTRH to ascertain staff resumption of work at the Hospital.
Save for medical Doctors who still maintain to hold on to the National Strike, all other staffers such as Clinical Officers, Lab Technicians and Nurses have all resumed duties and serving at the respective stations.
Somalis gathered in their tens of thousands at Isiolo’s El-boran Resort and spa, to celebrate the very culture behind Isiolo’s very being; The Somali Culture.
It’s well recollected that the British Colonial masters settled it’s Somali Brigade soldiers and their families in Isiolo to deflect the Germans that occupied the then Tanganyika, during the first world war and that’s how Isiolo came into being.
The Somalis celebrated a number of things this day including;
@ Isiolo’s original status as the headquarters of Northern Frontier Districts;
@ Isiolo Governor who revisited the role of Somalis and blessed them with over 25 percent of his cabinet and many other goodies;
@ Isiolo Government recognition of Somali livestock Security, thereby establishment of a strong 250 Para- military personell stationed at Mlango to safeguard lives and properties of the Somali Community.
@ The Islamic Culture that the Somali Culture and norms is based on, and it’s successful spreading of Islam in Isiolo and beyond, with a Sheikh Mohamed of Al-Ansar mosque’s recitation of a moving ayah of the Holy Quran.
@ The Camel, which forms the economic mainstay of the Somali to date, with the milking of a camel by the chief guests including the host Governor who himself hails from the Camel culture.
The Somali Community showcased the great cultures and traditions through overwhelming entertainment, among others:- The Burambur, the Saar, the Shabal, the Dhaanto, the untying of the Heer knot puzzle and more to the excitement of the guests.
The ceremony was graced by H.E. Abdi Ibrahim Guyo, the host Governor and his Garissa counterpart H.E. Nadhif Jama, , H.E. Dr. Mohamud Ali, the Deputy Governor of Mandera, MPs, Hussein Weytan, Mohamed Abdikher, Lagdhera MP, PS Culture Umulkheir Bashir, PS Mohamed Liban, Energy, Isiolo Senator Fatuma Dulo, Isiolo County MP Mumina Golo Bonaya, Former Isiolo MP Abdul Bahari among many other dignitaries.
The Lafey MP Mohamed Abdikher was all praises for Isiolo Governor Abdi Guyo, describing him as his mentor. I worked under Guyo as MCA when he was the minority leader in Nairobi County Assembly, during the first devolution, he said. And during the second term of devolution, Guyo influenced my appointment by Mike Mbuvi Sonko, the then Nairobi Governor as his CEC Environment.
Today that I am Lafey MP, Governor Guyo played a pivotal role in my election, he said. Abdi Guyo is a gem and I am sure he will deliver to your best satisfaction, as he loves his job, is humane and is good at it, he said.
I want to take this opportunity to thank you, the Isiolo people for electing Abdi Guyo as your Governor, he reiterated. Mohamed made a contribution of 300 thousand and said I am doing this owing to your electing my brother. He assured the Somali people that he will deliver and I will come back in 2026 to ask you if he did deliver, he said.
Garissa Governor, H.E.Nadhif Jama on his part, was full of praise for the Somali Culture and said Isiolo was where his dad was born and brought up. Isiolo has a great history for the Somalis, he said, urging that you (Somalis) should live with the rest of the Communities in harmony. Be united as you’ve showcased in this cultural occasion, and you will prosper, he said.
Hussein Weytan asked the Somalis to take advantage of their numbers and vote as a block if you want to succeed, he said.
Isiolo County MP confirmed that he has some cash to support Somali Women Groups and she will continue to support such capacity initiatives. She asked Culture PS, Umi Bashir to consider the Somali beads to be considered for the ten Counties that are nominated for Beads cultural promotions, to which the PS gave the affirmative.
Isiolo Senator Hon. Fatuma Dulo thanked Somalis for giving their votes 100 percent, forgetting that Somalis had their own candidate Dr. Abdi Kushoto who took lion’s share of Somali votes. She however contributed 350 thousand for Somali Women Groups.
Ummi Bashir also promised to help Isiolo Somalis to continue doing the cultural event annually, to which Nort Eastern Politicians promised to participate in large numbers.
The Lagdera MP said he will ensure attendance of majority of North Eastern Politicians the next round. Hon. Mumina Bonaya blessed the Women Groups with 200 thousand Kenya Shillings.
Governor Abdi Guyo, said he has the Somali people at heart and that’s the reason he postponed all his other commitments, to officiate in this cultural occasion.
For the first time since independence, Somali people got a CEC, Eight Chief Officers, several Directors and Advisors in Government, he said.
I liaised with CS Internal Security and delivered a strong 250 Police personell at Mulango and Burat, for the purpose of safeguarding the Somali Camel from Rustlers. Governor Guyo announced that December this year, there will be a massive Cultural for all Isiolo Communities and he therefore welcomed the Isiolo’s Somali people to participate.
The Governor also said he will organize a major fundraiser for the Somali families that have lost their loved ones and livestock’sy to Cattle Rustlers, and he urged the North Eastern Politicians to support him in realizing it. Governor Guyo contributed 2.5 million towards the cause of Women empowerment as Garissa Governor Nadhif Jama met cost of flight transportation for visiting politicians.
I managed to get a tail-end glimpse of Senator Dulo’s Angaf interview last evening.
I learnt that the Honourable Senator denied that she pleaded to get recognition from the Governor. It’s in public domain Ma’am that you even mentioned that you felt demeaned and even fear for your life due to the fact that the Governor’s support base is vast and aggressive.
I would like you, with all due respect to get a proper grip of the specific oversight role you enjoy, the slightest abuse of which, could be the reason you lost respect far and wide.
Please be informed that the oversight role of the Senate is secondary. It doesn’t entail your bullying of the Governor, or for that matter, his staff or even the contractors. Secondary oversight entails, dealing with reports from Primary Oversight agents, the likes of County Assembly, Auditor General and more. NOT sniffing around those offices to seek faults, but rather to wait for reports and act on them.
Furthermore, Senators don’t possess the specialization to inspect Construction projects. Where do they start? The structural quantfications? Equipments inspection? Casual workers evaluation? Engineers roll call? Questioning supervisors? Material specifications? Where? Where?
It’s true that the Governor apologized, first for failure to appear and secondly, for the resultant ridicule and castigation of the Committee by Bloggers, even though he has no control over these bloggers most of who are selfless opinion leaders without any association with the County. Yes, he apologized and that was the Honourable thing to do. As a leader, one needs to differentiate between a time to charge and a time to cool it down. We have no regrets about it.
Meanwhile, you were not fair to your audience when you said you didn’t ask questions about the Mortuary and all these other subjects, because the Governor team didn’t have documents.
Instead you should’ve said the truth, that the session was set only to discuss the Audit Querry of 2019/20 and 2020/21 books of Accounts ONLY! That you claimed the County did not present any documents when twenty plus voluminous files were visibly presented to the Committee, is honestly unfortunate. The Cameras don’t lie, do they?
I would rather you could say that proper reconciliation was the shortcoming. You should’ve said these books are documents inherited from the previous Regime.
And for the sake of good working relationship, It would’ve served a lot of good if you stuck to your role, that of lobbying for more funds for the County, and oversight the funds you lobbied for, through Secondary oversight process, rather than usurping the roles of policing, prosecuting and Judging, hence rendering you misplaced beyond reproach!
It’s not true that the Controller of Budget confided in you that she released March salaries. Even if it could’ve been released, you’ve not bothered to know the nitty-gritty details of what the County Government goes through, to ensure it’s staff get paid on time. You don’t seem to have acquainted yourself with the way the County struggles to get staff salaries on time due to unnecessary delays from National Treasury, a role that would’ve been yours to lobby for release of finds on time. You don’t seem to have an idea that the County Government has to contend with being subjected to exorbitant interest by Banks owing to delays in offsetting the advanced payment of Salaries. What bothers you instead, is how to twist and turn all blames to the County Government, for obvious reasons.
My invaluable advice to you is, stick to your role and you will reclaim and earn respect, so that you don’t bother pleading with the Committee to help you earn recognition from the Governor or even the electorate that have lost confidence in you!
That during the entirely of that interview, you didn’t mention a word about the disastrous flood that has claimed lives and destructions of large magnitude in Merti and it’s environs, says a lot about your laser guided focus on witch-hunt and without an iota of concern for your electorate.
With jest and pride, Governor Abdi Ibrahim Hassan impressed the Public Accounts Committee sitting at Bunge Plaza as he convinced the Committee chaired by Hon Senator Kajwang, with eloquent, polished Queens English, that he is firm on the steer of Isiolo County Government as he rendered into disrepute and put to shame, the petty rhetorics surrounding the29th April date that had earlier been painted as a D- day for his Administration, the day of his arrests and such like shenanigans.
The Governor rendered Isiolo Senator Hon. Fatuma Adan Dullo, basically on her knees pleading with the Chair to help her secure recognition from the Governor, posing that she’s lost face in the very Isiolo she represents in the Senate.
Does the Governor recognize me and my very role as the Senator charged with oversight of the County Government of Isiolo? She posed as she explained that she’s been so demeaned, and gets lynched streetwise, that she feels threatened walking the streets of Isiolo.
The Senators listened with awe and surprise, the Senator Dulo’s narratives that bordered the feelings of being unsafe owing to threats of her very existence posing absence of recognition and what she described as the Governor’s dismissive attitude towards her.
Governor Abdi Ibrahim, with absolute sobriety, created an aura that all is well in Isiolo and he is quite cognizant and duly respects ” my Senator” as well as the valuable role of every constitutional institutions including the Senate, The County Assembly, The Auditor General, the Controller of Budget and basically all the structures of Devolution charged with oversight and making devolution work.
Senator Sifuna started by asking the Governor if he is uncomfortable with the consistency of the Committee or any member of the Committee, to which the Governor responded that he is ok with the Committee members.
The Governor apologized for failure to appear before the Committee on the 8th March and of course the aftermath of that happening, the castigation of the Committee in the media circles and all.
The Committee in turn, accepted his apology but withheld the five hundred thousand fine, for failure to appear before the Committee for four consecutive sittings.
As Senator Sifuna suggested that the fine should be waived, considering that Governor Guyo is a first offender, Senator Fatuma pointed a finger at him, posing that he is acting as an advocate for the Governor.
Majority then ruled the fine should be paid anyway and the hullabaloo about the standoff came to a dead end as the Committee delved into the nucleus of the matter, the Audit Querry raised by the Office of the Auditor General on the 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 Financial year.
Chief Officer Finance, Habiba Jirmo was quite confident taking the Committee through volumes of documents, annexes and more, going deep into technicalities of the Accounting world.
After hours of nitty- gritty details, questions and clarities, the Committee deliberated that the Office of the Auditor General and the County Executive should sit together, ascertain the available documents and missing ones, and get to the bottom of the matter in view to deliberate proper reconciliation of the Accounting documents.
The Committee therefore adjourned the sitting and the Chair said they will communicate another date for conclusion of the matter.
Meanwhile the harsh street deliberation, declarations of hate, the disparaging innuendos and falsehoods that saturated the aura disappeared in thin air as the social media goons and their miserable perpetrators folded their tails and went silent throughout the remainder of the day and the following night.
The streets of Isiolo were greeted with pomp and celebrations while the opposing forces and their intolerant shenanigan rhetoric retired from the high street early into their domicile embarrassed, disappointed and shamed.
Back at the newly inaugurated Bunge Towers, hundreds of supporters of Governor Abdi Ibrahim went into celebrations, group photos and bracing shoulders with PAC members, (save for the culprit Isiolo Senator who remained locked up in the Committee Room) long after the compound was vacated to the last man/ woman.
Interactions, hugs and embrace with the Senators Sifuna, Omtata, Kajwang and more, filled the air, outside the building and on the way to the parking bay.
While some sections of haters have every so often created conspiracy theories around the near dissolution of the County Government of Isiolo, The Senate, via the Inter- Governmental Relations Technical Committee have today declared its full trust for the County Government, given that the State Office for Public Works have admittedly lagged behind in realizing it’s mandate to realize the completion of the County Headquarters ,while County did honour it’s financial commitment to the fullest.
The official handing over of the County Headquarters to the County Government, to complete a project that stalled at 50 percent, was deliberated today at the Office of the Governor, in a ceremony led by Dr. Perminus Nyaga Nderitu (IGRTC) and Ag. County Secretary Mohamed Boru,, that attracted officials from The State Department of Public Works, the Treasury, IGRTC, The Senate, The Council of Governors and officials from Isiolo County Government.
Intergovernmental Relations Technical Committee was tasked by the Senate to oversee the smooth handing over of the project to the County Government of Isiolo that is the duly, the ultimate owners of the project, having the full confidence that the County has proved it’s competency beyond any doubts, to make good, the completion of their Headquarters.
One wonders what the next move of the hate agents will be after realizing that after all there is no bad blood between the Senate and the County Government of Isiolo and that Isiolo County Government working relations with the Senate is robust, save for some political greed that has penetrated one of our own.
The hands and signatures of the respective institutions, as in The IGRHC, State Department of Public Works, The National Treasury and The County Government of Isiolo were appended on the handing over/ Taking over agreement, rendering the beginning of the handing over/ Taking over process.
The next process of technical handing over will follow within the next couple of weeks to mark the end of the stalemate. Rest assured of the fast tracking of the completion process, bearing that there is a competent Governor on the steer!
The County Government of Isiolo have embarked on lighting up the streets in a beautification exercise that is sure to elevate Isiolo a notch higher. Sistech Fabricators, a company contracted to fix Solar flashlights have been at work for the last couple of days and have so far covered Bula Pesa as well as Isiolo High Street from Grande to Karama Hotel area. So far sixty poles have been fitted and the Contractors confirmed to me that more posts are being expected as the first batch of sixty have been fitted. H.E. Governor Abdi GUYO’S commitment to elevate Isiolo to unprecedented levels is fast trending. Tarmacking, murraming as well as cabrio-Roadworks is all over. Coupled with the ongoing street lightning, the sky is the limit for Isiolo. Indeed, Governor Abdi Guyo delivers!
In the wake of the charged political aura in Isiolo the past few weeks that was ignited by a stray politician out to tarnish the good image of Isiolo County Government, resulting in PAC members sneaked into the County, breathing fire, it’s worthy to celebrate the Auditor General report on Isiolo.
The stray trigger-happy politicians who are themselves being charged and sponsored to do all they’re doing from our neighbourhood, stands ashamed as the report has rendered rotten eggs on the face of hate agents and detractors far and wide.
Meanwhile, a people wearing trivial, tribal spectacles have been all over social media castigating Isiolo Leadership owing to the Auditor General Report released recently.
In the process, these agents of hate, majorly powered and energized by a Governor from our neighbourhood and some of our own politicians, recently recruited into the neighbour’s bandwagon, seem not to have a clue about the real interpretation of the Auditor’s opinion.
Types of audit opinions:
Unqualified opinion- clean report
Qualified opinion- fairly clean report
Disclaimer opinion- Not possible to make a decision on it.
Adverse opinion- completely no reflection of the true financial position. N.B. It is very rare for auditors to give you an ” unqualified opinion”. For isiolo to be given ” qualified opinion” is quite good. Its only 10 out 47 counties that were classified qualified opinion.
Meanwhile, our neighborhood Governor and the father of stray bloggers in Isiolo as well as sponsor of the notoriety in Isiolo’s social media has been opined Adverse by the Auditor General of the Republic of Kenya.
The Auditor General’s office has no mercy, doesn’t incline on any side, doesn’t play politics, and has no idea about tribes and clans. The whip is now in the hand of the very fiery PAC, that has already acted to stop some grants going into the “Qile haa manoye” and “DIID GALGALU” desert.
The 1628 Isiolo County staff members have reason to celebrate as they are now beneficiaries of fully comprehensive Insurance cover with Trident Insurance Company.
In a meeting chaired by Chief Officer Public Service Management, Batula Ali Maalim, representatives of the Insurance firm led by Agade Biendha Zindoli took us through the nitty- gritty details of the cover that cuts across the entire staff from Governor all the way to support staff.
This milestone is a deserving staff welfare initiative that will go a long way in empowerment of staff which will in turn boost their morale and enhance service delivery. The process of registering members, and their dependants is expected to be complete in a fortnight, after which time they will be taken on board. Each member will receive a virtual card which they will produce at top- notch hospitals accredited to the firm. Fingerprints of beneficiaries shall be obtained at first visits and members will be free to get service at any of the accredited hospitals throughout the County.
H.E. Governor Abdi Ibrahim has fulfilled yet another of his promises for the staff members and their families and never again will Staff suffer the devastating consequences of struggling with their Health issues and that of their immediate dependants.
Public Account Committees in Kenya, or even in the entire Commonwealth world, didn’t start working yesterday.
Public Account Committes are defined as a committee of Legislature who study public audits, invite relevant authorities to the Committee for questioning, and report on their findings subsequent to the Government budget audit. Typically, PAC make recommendations and the government is required to report back to parliament on such PAC recommendations within a specified period.
More often than not, opposition members chair PACs in the commonwealth. Based on their findings, PACs often make recommendations to government ministries requiring that they change certain policies and procedures to improve their operations.
The PACs act strictly on Audit Reports. And their invitation of authorities is usually to ascertain documents or items in documents that the auditors quarry entails.
When PAC are notified in good time that the documents in question are being sought and asked for time to present, what can possibly lead the Committee to reject such a request and within 48 hours, storm the County in question?
Does the PAC mandate include visits to project sites and harassing staffs and contractors in the name of inspecting projects? Who granted them such mandate? And what is their expertise in constructions that can guide such visits?
The isiolo case scenario is unique in nature. It’s well acknowledged that there was some ongoing rift and exchanges between the Governor and the Senator of Isiolo.
It’s an open secret therefore, that the Senator selectively picked friendly Senate PAC members to market her to the people of Isiolo, adding weight to her open declaration to contest for Governor in 2027.
The unique new role of the Public Accounts Committee, crafted specifically for Isiolo, to police projects, harass staffers and contractors is a role that demands proper interpretation of the constitution up to and not limited to seeming a court injunction.
Furthermore their outburst in declaring the County a crime scene, among other threatening declarations, even beyond their very capacities, is tantamount to usurping the role of Crime detectives of some authoritarian rulers and demands condemnation and censure.
The dramatic PAC activities in Isiolo, mingling into local politics at the service of individual politician , are therefore wanting and demand the intervention of the requisite Courts to restrain these members from rendering the Senate a rogue institution at the service of individual politicians.
H.E. Governor Abdi Ibrahim Guyo (EGH), made an impromptu visit to Isiolo International Abbatoir, a facility the Engineer described as the best in Kenya and among the best in Sub-saharan Africa.
The Governor was navigated through Entry and Snaking points for Shoats, cattle and Camel respectively, the Blood tank storage, the two mega Boreholes with 400,000 liter capacity each, the site where the water treatment plant is being finalized, Neumatic lines, Bio- digester, Waste- water treatment plant, which has been tested and confirmed that the recycled water can be used for farming.
The Governor was informed that the recreation garden will be set-up within the facility by use of the recycled water.
The Governor’s entourage was taken through the fully mechanized hangers for Shoats, camel and cattle and all the way to Cold storage, that is said to have the capacity to house 3200 shoats, 300 cattle and 100 camel carcasses daily.
The Governor was introduced to the deboning and packaging area and the smart weighing scale that automatically takes the live weight versus the carcass weight as well. We were introduced to the Cold area exit and the hot area exit, basically describing the loading bay for export meat and that for local markets respectively. The Governor was informed by the host Engineer that a little delay was realized owing to consultants that delayed plans for Paving works but assured that the project will be done and dusted by the end of April. On his way out, the Governor was ambushed by some Youths who asked his support to travel to kitengela for a football match and the Governor blessed them with 100,000, from his pocket to facilitate the trip.
Daandi Qarooma 