Agriculture and food security, education and health, with a focus on education and infrastructure.
This is the agenda of Kilifi Governor Gideon Mung'aro, judging from the first budget estimate submitted to the National Controller of Budgets who authorizes withdrawals from public funds.
After signing the approximately 120 million supplementary budget, Mung'aro told the media that the resources will be equally distributed to all parts of the county. "The budget will play a key role in the implementation of my priority development areas," he said, "We have distributed medicines to all dispensaries worth 300 million shillings. We will build wells in Chonyi, Kambe and Kaloleni to expand irrigated areas."
Among the initiatives, the county will distribute free high-yielding cashew seedlings, recently unveiled by the Kenya Agriculture and Livestock Research Organization (Kalro) capable of producing 2 tons per acre per year, to revive one of the food industries that were once a pride and source of income in the county.
With the collapse of cooperative societies in the early 1990s, brokers dominated the industry, buying directly from farmers at low prices. This led to the decline of the industry, as farmers could not venture into commercial farming in the sector due to low yields. Meanwhile, the county will also establish ICT innovation hubs in the towns of Kilifi, Mtwapa, Mariakani, and Malindi to train and facilitate young people to take up online jobs.
"The education of all bright but needy students in Kilifi will now be paid for by the county government. It is a program I intend to expand to make sure all children go to school," Mung'aro said.