Makueni Governor Kivutha Kibwana is among the A graded governors in the current devolved system of government.
Hon Kivutha Kibwana has wowed most Kenyans with his excellent service delivery track. In fact since the start of devolution Kibwana and the governor for Nyandarua county Francis Kimemia.
What what makes Kibwana not to be swept by the wave of graft that is running dry the country?
Mentoring youths and giving them a chance to lead is one of the aspects that has set Makueni apart.
Giving the example of one of his ministers that led implementation of Universal Health Coverage (UHC), Kivutha said he had deliberately hired young people in senior positions in his county.
“The minister was barely 30 when he started working for the county in 2013, but he was able to achieve so much,” he said during an interview with K24’s Betty Kyalo in Makueni.
He narrated of how he had discovered the great potential youths held while he was serving as an associate professor University of Nairobi between 1977-2002.
“I realised that when you mentor young people they go places,” he said.
Among some of the youths he mentored during his tenure at UoN are Meru Governor Kiraitu Murungi, Cabinet Secretary East African Community Peter Munya and Supreme Court Judge Smokin Wanjala.
Kivutha has been lauded for exceptional leadership, putting the county in the spotlight for all the right reasons. Earlier last week, the county was given a clean bill of health by the Auditor General for good utilisation of funds. He attributed this to strict adherence to proper use of public funds and to leading by example.
“If the governor is straight, it’s not easy for people under him to be crooked. When they know you are strict it discourages theft,” he said.
The county became a trailblazer in implementation of UHC in 2016 enabling residents to access free medical care from any of the county’s hospitals. In February, the county launched a milk processing plant to support dairy farmers.