The Vihiga County Government has inked a deal with the Government of India in a new partnership targeting projects in health, education, skills training and agriculture.
This was affirmed in a meeting that took place at the county offices in Mbale led by county leaders and the High Commissioner of India to Kenya, Dr Adarsh Swaika.
The meeting comes a day after a similar meeting with the High Commissioner to Japan.
In his remarks, Governor Dr Wilber Ottichilo welcomed the Indian delegation, stating that Kenya and India have had a long friendship, and in Vihiga, the first Indian community settled in the Rwandan village as far back as 1902.
He noted that Lunyerere was also an old Indian business centre and that many people of Indian origin in Vihiga today are proud Kenyans.
The Governor stated that he had held earlier engagements at the Indian High Commissioner’s office in Nairobi and that county teams had also toured hospitals, colleges and research centers in India, including Apollo Hospital and the Asian Institute of Gastroenterology in Hyderabad.
Dr Ottichilo said the county was now moving from discussions to the realisation of the projects under the partnership.
He thanked Commissioner Swaika for his role in connecting the county with Indian institutions. Adding that teams from India had also visited Vihiga and that the focus now was to implement the projects already identified.
The governor added that agreements had been made for county staff to take short courses and degree programs in India. With the County Officer Washington Orlando attesting that he had attended a two-month training in India on satellite data and how to use it in farming and online learning.
Dr Ottichilo further said an MOU had been signed between Vignan University in India and Kaimosi Friends University and Kaimosi National Polytechnic for student and staff exchange.
The Governor noted that in India, buffalo farming is organised from production to marketing, and that is the model Vihiga wants to adopt.
He was elated that the week had been special for Vihiga because the county had hosted both the Japanese and Indian High Commissioners.
The High Commissioner of India, Dr Swaika, thanked the Governor for his leadership. He said India looks forward to a stronger partnership with Vihiga and introduced members of his team, including Rishabh and Sudeep Kulasai.
Deputy Governor Wilberforce Kitiezo thanked the Governor for bringing the Indian High Commissioner to Vihiga.
Kitiezo said Vihiga has a large population and is located in the middle of the 14 counties in the Lake Region Economic Block.
Adding that to deliver services in health, education and technical training, the county needs partnerships like India and the national government.
County Executive for Health Dr. Nicholas Kitungulu said plans for an equipment maintenance and calibration centre were ready.
He explained that many machines break down due to lack of a local repair centre. He added that plans were underway to adopt telemedicine to make it available for patients to consult doctors in Nairobi, India, or the United States.
He stated that Vihiga has 75 health facilities, including five referral centers and a Level 5 hospital that is almost complete. He said the Mother and Child Hospital, built in collaboration with Safaricom, serves mothers from Vihiga, Bungoma and Trans Nzoia.
The County Executive for Education reported that 30 people had applied for scholarships under the Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation program and 2 had been approved.
He said the county also wants help to equip vocational training centres and ECD centers with computers and modern tools.
On agriculture, Velocity Project Management Program Coordinator Hari Murthy said the partnership covers dairy and smart farming.
He said delegations from the Andhra Pradesh Medical Technology Zone and EPCMD will visit Vihiga.
He added that county teams had visited organised dairy farms like Sangam Dairy in India to learn new farming methods.
After the meeting, the delegation toured Gimomoi Vocational Training Centre, Magaka ECD Center and Vihiga Teaching and Referral Hospital to see where the new projects will be set up.
By Victor Zedy and Anne Achieng
