Tharaka Nithi County officials have stepped up efforts to implement the Kenya Kwanza administration’s Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA), following a two-day intensive sensitisation workshop.
The training equipped national and county officers with tools to popularize government programmes in agriculture, housing, health, youth empowerment, and digital infrastructure, ensuring citizens fully benefit from the transformative policies.
The forum, led by County Commissioner David Gitonga, brought together senior administrators, departmental heads, and technical officers from both levels of government in a ‘train-the-trainers’ programme.
Participants were equipped with detailed knowledge of flagship policies and interventions to ensure structured public sensitisation at the grassroots.
Mr. Gitonga said the training was critical to ensure government officers are well-informed and aligned on policy priorities, enhancing service delivery and accurate dissemination of information to wananchi.
“This is part of a nationwide push to implement the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda, which aims to empower communities across Kenya through targeted interventions in agriculture, housing, health, youth empowerment, and digital infrastructure,” said Mr Gitonga
The sensitization focused on the five pillars of the bottom-up agenda: agricultural transformation, affordable housing, health, micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs), and the digital superhighway.
Agriculture, a key pillar, featured prominently with Director of Agriculture Dionisia M’eruaki outlining government interventions aimed at improving food and nutrition security, livestock production, and fisheries.
She highlighted the importance of subsidized fertilizer programs, quality-certified seeds, and expanded extension services.
Coffee sector reforms were cited as a major success, with farmgate prices rising to Sh120 per kilo, contributing to a 20 percent increase in farmers’ household incomes.
The measures have also boosted exports and reduced imports, supporting the country’s balance of trade.
Farmers were encouraged to register under the Kenya Integrated Agricultural Management Information System (KIAMIS) for accurate data capture and access to government support.
Other initiatives include land aggregation, aggregation centres, industrial parks, and value addition to address post-harvest losses of 30–40 percent.
Farmers were also urged to join cooperatives and savings and credit societies to strengthen productivity and market access.
Housing Director Nelly Kawira said affordable housing is a constitutional right and a key driver of economic growth and job creation.
She noted that informal traders, including mama mboga, have benefited from increased economic activity, while housing projects have created employment for skilled and semi-skilled labour, including job creation for interns.
The Chuka Affordable Housing Project is 90 percent complete and expected to be finalised by April this year, while Majira and Marimanti projects are scheduled for completion by 2027.
Modern markets in Chuka, Chogoria, and Marimanti are at advanced stages and will increase trading spaces by 40 percent benefiting hundreds of local traders.
The Social Health Authority (SHA) County Director, Daisy Nyaga, said Tharaka Nithi is ranked number six nationally in SHA registration, reflecting strong community uptake of government health schemes.
She also highlighted the county’s enhanced health infrastructure, including the newly operational Intensive Care Unit (ICU) at Chuka Referral Hospital, which currently provides specialised emergency and critical care services.
Nyaga said increased registration under the new health framework is key to securing higher global health budgets.
The government is also strengthening screening services, preventive healthcare, and mental health programmes under the affordable care and financial protection pillar.
MSME Director Nelly Diana said youth empowerment remains central to the Bottom-Up agenda, noting that over 1,030 youths in Tharaka Nithi have benefited from the Nyota Programme, a government grant initiative supporting young entrepreneurs.
The Hustler Fund has mobilised Sh5 billion in savings nationally, with over 26 million borrowers accessing affordable credit at a repayment rate of 80 percent.
Government institutions and county technical institutions can also borrow funds to support enterprise development.
Other initiatives highlighted included the Kenya Jobs and Economic Transformation (KJET) Programme, KNEST, and KJETS, which expand employment opportunities and strengthen entrepreneurship.
Officials said the training was designed to ensure that county and national officers cascade accurate and consistent information to the public through structured grassroots sensitisation.
The forum called for coordinated implementation and continued collaboration between national and county governments to maximize the impact of the Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda.
By Dickson Mwiti and Christine Ngitori
