JICA TEAM IN KAKAMEGA ON A FACT FINDING MISSION

County Secretary and Head of Public Service Madam Jacinta Aluoch Odhiambo today hosted a team from Japan’s International Cooperation Agency (JICA) at the county headquarters offices.

The Japanese team led by Mr. Takuto Ashimoto is in the county to collect data on the production of avocado, soya and French beans in the county and the possibility of partnering with the farmers for export purposes.

The County Secretary thanked them for choosing Kakamega as one of the counties to carry the study on.

“We welcome you to Kakamega and we are pleased to inform you that we are in fact doing very well in avocado farming in the Northern region of our county; As a government, we have continuously urged our people to diversify farming,” she said.

Kakamega County government received 10,000 Hass avocado tree seedlings from Murang’a county this year to distribute to farmers in the county. The JICA team seeks to support growth of Soya beans in the county with an assured market of the raw material in the Japanese market.

Chief Officer for Agriculture Mr. Jeremiah Namunyu said the county’s climatic conditions favours growth of the crop and assured that his ministry will be engaging with the development partner on how to develop the crop.

MEANWHILE, two senior Kakamega County government officers have travelled to the Iranian capital, Tehran, to study a plastic moulding technology project with a view to replicating it in Kakamega.

The team consisting of the chief officer, Social Services, Youths, Sports and Culture Mr. Phitalis Were Masakhwe and Engineer Ishmael Makanga made the trip following initial visit to the Birmingham Leadership Development Centre in Dubai, UAE, by H.E. FCPA Governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya two months ago.
“It appears this is a project Kakamega County could embrace as part of Agenda Four under the national government’s development priorities for youth development and manufacturing to create jobs,” said Mr. Masakhwe.

Other envisaged benefits include establishment of practical industrial attachments/skills development for students in county polytechnics and institutions of higher learning.

After the visit, the team will prepare a technical report to H.E. the governor that will form the basis of the process towards establisment of a plastic moulding technology project in this great county.