County Set To Start Broadcasting , Market Expansion Underway

“We are adding 74 stalls in the Mandera East market instead of just having a shade, and securing it with a perimeter wall. The Rhamu one is being divided into stalls based on community recommendations.” -Abdiaziz Shiekh Maad

Unfazed by security challenges, business is booming in Mandera County as the markets and small-scale enterprises take root.

The County Administration has built markets and parks, and the revival of the regional trading hub is taking shape. Businesses are growing and opportunities are

emerging for investment. “We are looking at home-grown solutions and offering training and exposure for business people to modernise their businesses,” says Abdiaziz Sheikh Maad, the county executive committee member for ICT, Trade, Industrialisation, Tourism, Wildlife and Cooperative Development.

Trade

The County Government inherited nine stalled projects, two of them being markets under the Economic Stimulus Projects. One is in Mandera town and another in Rhamu town. The County government is in the process of reviving these two markets and has awarded rehabilitation and expansion tenders. “We are adding 74 stalls in the Mandera East market instead of just having a shade, and securing it with a perimeter wall. The Rhamu one is being divided into stalls based on community recommendations,” Mr. Maad says.

A miraa market is under construction in Mandera town and will have 74 stalls, a restaurant and a Mosque for the miraa business stakeholders. It is isolated to avoid exposing underage children to the commodity. The department of trade has refurbished several other markets, including those in Wargadud and Lafey. There are plans also to construct six SME parks in Lafey, Banisa, Mandera East, Mandera North, Mandera West and Mandera South.“Elwak project is underway. Contracting is done and commissioning is planned for May 2015. These projects are modeled along Vision 2030 recommendations. They are doable,” Maad says.

Governor Roba viewing products from traders in Mandera

The Department of Trade has also earmarked market stalls in each of the 30 Wards. To start with, the following projects have been contracted; Sala, Eymole, Khalalio and in Township Wards. In order to support entrepreneurship, the County Assembly has enacted Mandera County Trade Development Fund Act 2014, which will activate a KSh86 million trade development aimed at easing access to credit that is Sharia compliant in all the 30 wards. This fund is available to registered self-help groups recognized by Social Service Department, registered cooperative societies and duly registered companies, for women, youth and persons with disabilities.

Bridging the ICT gaps in Mandera

Mandera County has grown its mobile telephone access from a paltry 15 per cent in

2013 to nearly 70 per cent as at March 2015. The department has managed key achievements over the last 24 months. On legislation, the department has completed ICT Policy and the Anti-Pornography Act, 2014.

A partnership programme dubbed ‘Counties Connectivity’ in conjunction with ICT Authority fibre optic last mile connection included Mandera among the first five pilot counties. The County Government has set up a tower to distribute Internet connectivity to all government institutions and installations with future plans to offer free Internet to the residents of Mandera town. The County website is up and has proved a key channel for communication for the Government.

There is an email server and inter- office connectivity hardware and software support for the whole county, as well as a help desk software automated system for internal use. “We have lobbied for the improvement of mobile network in Mandera County. Safaricom has completed a roll-out network upgrade in 21 new centres, increasing our network coverage within the County by more than 300 percent from a 15 per cent voice connectivity in 2009,” says Sheikh Maad.

The county government has lobbied for fibre optic connectivity through the Ministry of Information, and there is a strong indication that work will start within 2015.

A 3G GSM network was launched by Orange Telcom and will cover Mandera East, Mandera North and Mandera South. Plans are at an advanced stage to connect Banisa, Takaba and Lafey through Orange for both voice and data connectivity.

Mandera’s radio Station ready

The county has applied for a radio frequency and has been allocated one to start Mandera County Broadcasting Corporation. The registration is in its final stages, while the construction of the County’s radio station has been finalized. Mandera County will soon bridge the information gap and divide.

The station will be a platform for communicating development activities. It will also be a participatory platform where residents can have their say on issues affecting them and governance of the county. It will also be a platform for religious communication

of Islamic teachings and faith.

Mandera Broadcasting House has been built and completed. It is being equipped with

state-of-the-art transmitters and studio just awaiting commission. “The radio station will improve access to information, which has been very limited in Mandera over five decades,” says Governor Ali Roba. “We have managed to build and ready infrastructure for our community radio station. We have frequency allocation and the equipment has been supplied. We are looking at partnerships that can help us grow the reach and the station to be able meet international standards of broadcast,” says the ICT minister. In terms of TV ownership, statistics show that the entire North Eastern region has 3.5 per cent of all TVs in Kenya.

Cooperatives return to business

When the county administration took office in 2013, only 35 cooperative societies were registered, but most were dormant and had weak governance structures. The Roba Administration has revived 22 and increased the number to 43, just seven short of the target of 50. “We have also registered five cooperatives and three SACCOs. One of them is Marhabah Women SACCO, an umbrella organisation that brings together all Women self-help groups in the County,” says Maad. “We have conducted county-wide education and sensitisation program of the importance of co-operatives and SACCOs and enhanced their management skills through capacity building for 40 cooperative leaders,” adds Maad.

So far, 427 groups have expressed interest in being registered as either SACCOs or Cooperatives in all the sub-counties. At least 60 have complied with regulations and are awaiting certificates. “We acknowledge the Muslim population in the county and we are training cooperatives to offer Sharia compliant products, which should be interest-free. In support of this, a KSh 28mliion budget for Sharia compliant cooperative investment and the Bill is with Assembly for enactment,” says Maad.

Some cooperatives have already started reaping the fruits of their savings by awarding

scholarships to eight students who finished KCPE through cooperative foundations and one scholarship to a student pursuing a diploma course in cooperatives at the Cooperative College. We are discouraging clan-based cooperatives and self help groups as part of cohesion building in the county.

Achievements

Fruit processing factory feasibility study and design completed.

• Rehabilitatation of 8 stalled markets and construction of 6 new ones.

• Commission and construction of Elwak SME park.

• Construction of a Five Star hotel.

• Construction of broadcasting house.

• Internet service provision.

• Mandera County Trade.

• Development Fund Act enacted.

• Mobile telephony network expansion

• ICT Policy enacted.

• Revived 22 cooperatives

• Registered 8 and 60 awaiting certificates.

• Capacity building for 40 cooperative leaders.

• Tailor-made entrepreneurship training

• One stop business license unit.

Progress