The Government is set to introduce a data management system to improve public awareness of its development programmes and track the spread of illicit brews in Nyeri County.
The move follows the conclusion of a three-day training workshop at the White Rhino Hotel that brought together nearly 400 National Government Administration Officers (NGAO) from across the county.
The workshop, which began on Tuesday, was facilitated by the State Department for Economic Planning in collaboration with the Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS).
The training targeted assistant chiefs, chiefs, assistant county commissioners and deputy county commissioners and was conducted under the first phase of the Training on Grassroots Data Management for Evidence-Based Planning programme.
Speaking to KNA after the workshop, Nyeri County Commissioner Joseph Biwott said the officers would be expected to apply the knowledge and skills acquired at their respective stations in line with the Government’s Bottom-Up Transformation Agenda (BETA).
“We had officers from the State Department for Economic Planning training them on how to collect accurate data, analyse it and provide feedback so that the Government can improve planning and decision-making,” said Biwott.
He said the administrators were now equipped to use the new data collection system at the grassroots level to improve service delivery.
Among the areas covered during the training were the national planning architecture, legal frameworks and community data systems, data quality assurance and digital data management systems.
Biwott said the new system would also help administrators map trends in the manufacture, distribution and sale of illicit brews, thereby strengthening efforts to combat the menace.
He noted that a lack of reliable and verifiable data had previously hampered efforts to tackle the trade in illicit alcohol, as many cases went unreported.
“In our discussions, we wanted to take advantage of the tools, analysis and presentations to deal with alcohol and drug abuse. We have trained our chiefs to use the system to collect data on all bar outlets in their sub-locations,” said Biwott.
He said the officers had also been provided with checklists to help monitor alcohol outlets, including their operating hours and compliance with the stipulated opening and closing times of between 5 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The county commissioner warned administrators against colluding with traders involved in the manufacture and sale of illicit or counterfeit alcohol, saying those found facilitating the vice risked losing their jobs.
He said the Government would not hesitate to take disciplinary action against officers who failed to perform their duties or deliberately allowed illegal activities to continue within their areas of jurisdiction.
Biwott said the adoption of a multi-agency approach involving the National Police Service, the Office of the Director of Public Prosecutions, the Kenya Bureau of Standards, the Government Chemist, the Kenya Revenue Authority and the Judiciary had contributed to a significant decline in the consumption of illicit alcohol in the county.
He added that the multi-agency team had also resulted in the arrest of two of the four leading dealers allegedly involved in the manufacture of counterfeit alcoholic drinks in the county.
The commissioner said the Government was further working with licensed alcohol manufacturers to identify and apprehend individuals who misuse established beer brands to manufacture counterfeit products and sell them to unsuspecting consumers.
“We will not entertain any assistant chief who is reckless. We do not want to wait until people are affected before we act. If manufacturers are going to work with us in dealing with this menace, we are going to get rid of it completely. I am calling on all other manufacturers to join hands with us so that we can handle these issues as a team,” he said.
by Samuel Maina
