Devolution has transformed Kenya’s political landscape into a powerful engine for grassroots development, with Kericho County emerging as a shining example of how local governments can anchor the national Bottom-Up Economic Transformation Agenda (BETA) through bold investments in agriculture, water supply, education, infrastructure, and digital revenue systems that are steadily proving that devolution is not just a constitutional principle but a practical tool for uplifting households.
From commissioning multi-million-shilling water projects that now serve thousands of homes, introducing modern farm value chains that go beyond tea, constructing new Early Childhood Development (ECD) classrooms, to reviving once-stalled processing factories, Kericho County Government is showing how devolved units could deliver real impact.
Speaking during a televised interview, Kericho County Governor Dr. Eric Mutai said his administration has deliberately focused on equitable resource distribution, noting that every ward has received projects ranging from new water systems to classrooms and agricultural support programmes.
Dr. Mutai cited the Sh18 million Chagoror water project in Londiani Ward, now 95 per cent complete, which is supplying households that previously relied on rivers and springs, alongside the Sh17 million Kibrengwe project serving Kedowa-Kimugul and Chepseon wards.
In Kiptere, the Governor highlighted the Sh186 million Kibon Logit project, saying it had stalled under a previous regime but was revived, and is now 95 per cent complete.
He further mentioned the extension of piped water from the Kimugu treatment site to Belgut and the ongoing Sh108 million Seretut–Kabartegan project that will serve parts of lower Belgut.
“For the first time, residents of Sosiot and Tablotin in Belgut are enjoying clean, piped water in their markets and homes, something they never imagined before,” he said.
Meanwhile, the County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Agriculture, Livestock and Fisheries Mr. Magerer Langat said Kericho has diversified beyond tea into coffee, sugarcane, dairy, pyrethrum and aquaculture, significantly widening the agricultural base since 2022.
He explained that over 650,000 coffee seedlings have been distributed to farmers across Bureti, Soin/Sigowet, and Belgut, lifting Kericho to the fifth position nationally in coffee production, with 4.2 million bags of green coffee sold last season.
Sugarcane farmers in Soin-Sigowet, Kipkelion West and Ainamoi are benefitting from the West Valley Sugar Factory, which has reduced post-harvest losses by eliminating long-distance transport that previously dried out cane and lowered sucrose content, by cutting waiting times that left cane rotting in fields, and ensuring quicker milling that preserves quality while also creating jobs and supplying by-products such as molasses for livestock feed and local enterprises.
In addition, Langat disclosed that pyrethrum is being reintroduced in Londiani and Kipkelion areas, while aquaculture has expanded from 200 to over 700 fish farmers across the county, supported with fingerlings, training and feed.
“We are also finalizing a county dairy processor under the Kericho District Cooperative Development Union to brand and market Kericho milk, ensuring our 220 million litres of annual production benefit farmers directly,” he emphasized.
However, the CECM noted that tea farmers were still grappling with depressed global prices that have seen average earnings at the Mombasa Tea Auction fall per kilo, but assured that the county is working with governors from Nandi, Bomet, Nyamira, and Kisii in a joint regional bloc to push for higher auction prices, direct sales to international buyers, and stronger protections for smallholder growers.
“On value addition, we have allocated Sh70 million to complete the long-delayed pineapple factory at the Royal Factory in Bureti. New machines have already been procured and are awaiting installation and once operational, the plant will give farmers a ready market, cut post-harvest wastage, and position Kericho as a competitive player in processed fruit products,” Magerer added.
On health, Governor Mutai confirmed that Kericho County Referral Hospital, which had been closed to allow for the safe removal of hazardous asbestos roofing and comprehensive renovations, has now reopened for both outpatient and inpatient services, restoring affordable treatment to residents.
The county will soon embark on the recruitment of doctors and specialists once the County Public Service Board is fully constituted, with priority given to urologists and other critical cadres to strengthen service delivery, he added.
On education, the Governor highlighted the Equalizer Vocational Training Programme, which has so far trained and graduated more than 3,600 youth from vulnerable families in technical trades such as masonry, painting, carpentry, plumbing, welding, electrical installation, tailoring, and hairdressing.
He noted that each graduate received hands-on skills, with the majority of them now formally employed while others have ventured into self-employment and were already creating jobs within their communities.
Meanwhile, the CECM for Education Ms. Judith Chirchir added that a total of 100 new Early Childhood Development (ECD) classrooms has been constructed, with 135 more targeted in the next two financial years to address overcrowding and achieve the recommended 1:30 learner-teacher ratio.
On Finance and Economic Planning, CECM Jackson Rop reported that Kericho’s own-source revenue had grown from Sh564 million in 2022 to Sh1.72 billion in the last financial year, a leap he credited to the automation of revenue systems.
He assured that the days of leakage and manual cash collection were over as Kericho is now fully cashless, and noted that increased own-source revenue is critical because it reduces dependence on national transfers, ensures timely funding of county projects, strengthens fiscal autonomy, and allows the county to expand services such as health, water, and education without delays.
By Kibe Mburu
