STORAGE FACILITY UNVIELED IN KENYA GOVT. IN NYANDARUA COUNTY

The National Government Development County Implementation, Coordination, and Management Committee (NGD-CICMC) in Nyandarua County has announced the completion of a potato cold facility that is ready for use.

The facility that was launched by the president in April this year has since been furnished with the requisite equipment, and farmers have been urged to utilize the facility in a bid to curb post-harvest losses.

The committee chaired by Nyandarua West DCC Josephine Kihara was speaking after a tour of the facility to ascertain its readiness to start receiving potatoes from farmers.

They were accompanied by the Chief Officer of Cooperatives, Charles Nderitu, from the Nyandarua County government.

Over 100 pallets and manual forklifts have already been installed in place and the facility is now ready to store over 500 metric tonnes of potatoes.

The facility, which measures 1000 square meters, can hold any type of vegetable and is expected to benefit over 140,000 households in the county that produce potatoes.

According to the Micro and Small Enterprises Authority (MSEA), the facility will help curb 33.3 percent of post-harvest losses incurred by farmers annually in the region.

According to Ann Kuria, the MSEA county head in Nyandarua, the facility has adopted two models at the moment but is hopeful to settle for a single model that will ensure the smooth operations of the facility.

On her side, Mukami Matemo, the government delivery services head in Nyandarua County, said that the committee is mandated to ensure all the ongoing projects from the national government are completed within the set timelines and operationalized.

The committee also visited the new county headquarters under construction and received a report from the main contractor on its progress.

The county headquarters are 70 percent financed by the national government and 30 percent by the county government.

The project is estimated to cost Sh449 million, with the contractor on site being the third since its inception.

Later, the committee also visited the Kagaa Police Housing project within the county which has been under construction but has not been completed due to some administrative issues.

The committee directed the State Department of Housing, Public Works, and National Police Service to work with a contractor and come up with a conclusive report that the committee will escalate to the region so that the remaining 10 percent component of the project is completed.

Once this is done, the facility can be handed over in 3 months for occupation by the police.