Governors from counties that form the North Rift Economic Bloc (NOREB) on October 28, 2022, held their inaugural summit in Eldoret town.
The summit brought together newly elected county bosses and those that won re-election in the just concluded general election.
NOREB brings together eight counties in the North Rift region – Uasin Gishu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Samburu, Turkana, Trans Nzoia, West Pokot, Nandi and Baringo.
Of the 8 governors, 5 are serving their first terms while one was re-elected for a second term.
Two other governors are making a return after losing in the 2017 general election.
With the exit of Jackson Mandago who was serving as the interim NOREB chairperson, the summit’s first task was to pick his successor.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang was picked to serve in the position in an interim capacity.
Addressing the press after the summit, host governor Jonathan Bii Chelilim said the event marked the return of NOREB.
Noreb is back
“Noreb is coming back. We’re here to structure and make sure that we make the bloc as vibrant as possible,” Chelilim said.
“This is a very serious team. We want to bring together our counties, bring cohesiveness and improve the economic status of our people,” he added.
The new interim Noreb chairperson on his part said the summit received a brief of the legal status of the bloc and programs that were being implemented.
All the governors that attended the summit agreed on the need to ensure the economic bloc is anchored in law.
“Within November, we will conclude structures, anchoring of the bloc within the legal framework and we have agreed that within next month, we will reach out to MCAs to execute that,” said the governor.
The county boss further noted that Noreb presents a unique opportunity they hope to make use of for the benefit of the people.
United Rift Valley
He also revealed plans to reach out to other counties so as to form an economic bloc for the whole Rift Valley region.
Currently, the region is divided into three – North Rift, South Rift and Central Rift.
“We have a huge interest in sister counties that want to be part of the bloc like Narok, Kajiado, Nakuru and Laikipia. As much as we’ve been operating as Noreb, we have agreed to reach out to them to be a bigger bloc,” said Governor Sang.
“We want to ensure we have a united region – to focus on economic transformation. You will be hearing a bigger announcement before the end of November,” he added.
Turkana, Elgeyo Marakwet and Trans Nzoia governors also attended the meeting. However, West Pokot and Baringo were represented by deputy governors with an apology from Samburu.
