It has been about 100 days since Jonathan Bii Chelilim alias Koti Moja took an oath of office as the second governor of Uasin Gishu.
Koti Moja was inaugurated as the county boss on August 25, 2022, alongside his deputy Eng John Barorot. This is after he won the seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket, beating his main competitor Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop (Buzeki) – who had vied as an independent candidate.
Speaking at the Reformed Church of East Africa (RCEA) Chesogor in Ainabkoi Sub-County on December 11, 2022, the governor highlighted some of the things his government has achieved so far.
ECDE teachers
Top on the list of his achievements is employing Early Childhood Development (ECDE) teachers on permanent and pensionable terms.
The teachers have been working on a contract basis, since the inception of devolution in 2013 on a flat salary of Ksh10,000 – which had been increased to Ksh13,000.
But after the county developed a scheme of service for the teachers, they are now being paid depending on their level of education.
“The Council of Governors (COG) agreed that we pay ECDE teachers Ksh10,000 salary but recently I found a scheme of service which I used to employ my teachers on permanent and pensionable terms, depending on their salary,” Governor Chelilim said.
An ECDE teacher with a certificate is now earning Ksh23,000 while a degree holder is getting Ksh51,000, per month.
Health
Another key area that the new administration has worked on improving is the Health Sector. The Governor notes that he has already re-opened the revolving fund pharmacies that his predecessor closed.
The pharmacies run by a US-funded program – AMPHATH, were providing chronic diseases patients with drugs at an affordable price – but the previous administration closed over what it described as a breach of MoU.
“We had revolving fund pharmacies that were closed. We opened them and now drugs that would cost huge sums of money for those that depend on them are benefiting with them being able to access them at an affordable price,” Chelilim said.
He also revealed that he ordered a policy shift that allows drugs to be delivered directly to health facilities – and not be kept at Central Stores.
“Today we have sufficient drugs in our facilities. We recently purchased Ksh67 million worth of drugs plus another worth Ksh35, donated by friends from the United States of America,” the governor noted.
Roads
Improvement of roads is another area that Chelilim says he has given priority to. He reveals that already, each of the 30 wards has been allocated a grader, working on repairing the roads ahead of the long rains.
“Every MCA has a grader. Every sub-county has a machine. We want to ensure our roads are in good condition before the onset of long rains early in 2023,” he noted.
