Community organizations/non-state actors

Cooperative societies

There are various types of co-operative societies in the county namely, Multipurpose co-operative societies, saving and credit co-operative societies, Soapstone mining co-operative societies, Coffee growers co-operative societies and Tea growers co-operative societies. These are spread in Kisii, Ogembo, Suneka, Nyamarambe, Nyamache and Marani town. There is therefore need to encourage the rural communities in the county to join these societies so as to benefit from credit facilities. There are a total of   80 active cooperative societies with 59,715 members.

 Non Governmental Organizations

There are about 16 registered NGOs implementing various activities in the county in HIV/Aids and environment sectors. The NGOs have greatly contributed to the creation of awareness on the fight against HIV/Aids and environmental conservation which has resulted to reduced stigma on the people directly affected with the virus and protection of river banks and mountains. Therefore there is need to work closely with them and encourage more others.

Self-Help, Women and Youth Groups

There are about 450 Self Help groups, 1000 women Groups and about 1200 youth groups in the county dealing with poultry rearing, tree nurseries, sports activities, grade cows rearing and merry going activities among other activities. Therefore there is need to link them to financial agencies and international NGOs for funding to enable them grow and be self reliant since the funds they get from the Women and Youth enterprise funds are not sufficient owing to the large number of groups.

Crop, Livestock and Fish production

Main crops produced

The main crops produced in Kisii County are maize, bananas, beans, potatoes, tea, sugarcane, coffee and horticultural crops. However, due to small land holdings, there is need to encourage growing of both traditional food crops and horticultural to ensure food security. 

Acreage under food crops and cash crops

The acreage under cash crops in Kisii County is approximately 17,800ha while the area under food crops is about 72,500ha. However, the land tenure is still in small holdings which cannot sustain the use of modern farming technology.

Average farm sizes

The average farm sizes in the county range from 0.5 acres to 4.5 acres of land. The small size of land holdings is as result of the high population which has led to sub-divisions of land into small units that are not economical. This has serious implications to the county in terms of food security and measures such as land policies on land use ought to be put in place and intensifying modern methods of farming like Zero grazing which require small sizes of land.

Main storage facilities

The main storage facilities in Kisii County include: Cereals board, granaries, stores and sacks in the houses. However, only 30% of the produce is stored in the storage facilities due to low level of production as almost everything is consumed immediately. It is therefore important to establish cereal boards in major centres of the county to ensure proper handling and storage of food.

Main Livestock bred

 The main livestock bred in Kisii County are; Dairy cattle and Zebu, goats, sheep, donkeys, poultry among others. Due to land scarcity in the county, there is need to encourage zero grazing and rearing of grade breeds to increase productivity and balance competing needs for crops and livestock production.

Main fishing activities

The county has 677 fish farmers with 3,100 fish ponds with each of the seven constituencies having at least 300 fish ponds. Tilapia and Cat fish are the main types of fish grown. However, the government through the ministry of fisheries has made efforts through the Economic Stimulus programme to train farmers and establish fish ponds in each constituency. This ought to be encouraged so that the number of fish farmers can increase and generate incomes from their produce hence increasing county revenue.

Forestry and Agro-Forestry

Main Forest types and size of forests

The county does not have a gazzetted forest; however, there are non-gazzetted forests like Nyangweta, Ritumbe, Ndonyo and Nyansembe forests in Gucha South district, and Keboye hills in Kisii south, Sameta hills in Sameta district, Nyacheki hills in Nyamache district, Igorera and Ibencho hills in Kenyenya, Taracha hill in Kisii central, Intamocha hill in Gucha district and Emborogo forest in Masaba South. The total forest cover is  approximated at 228.4 ha.Efforts to have the above forests gazetted need to be made through the forest department in the county and sensitizations of the communities need to be enhanced on protection of forests. The forest cover should be increased from the current 228.4 ha to about 500ha by 2017.

Main Forest products for un gazetted forests

The main forest products in the county are: Timber, electricity poles, construction poles, firewood, Honey and Medicinal products.

Promotion of Agro-Forestry and Green Economy for:

 a) Income generating activities including farm forests

The county is promoting Agro-Forestry for income generating activities through establishment of community tree nurseries in various constituencies. These activities are carried out through the departments of Agriculture, Forestry, NEMA and the Local Authorities in the county.

b) Protection of water catchment areas

Planting of trees along the hill tops through the Ministry of Youth Affairs courtesy of KKV, Forestry, Agriculture and Local Authorities is on-going. Sensitization of the community regarding river bank protection through the cutting of blue gums along rivers is also done by the NGOs and the government departments like Agriculture and Environment.

 c) Prevention of soil erosion

 Some of the forests on the hilltops have been poorly managed by uncontrolled grazing and cultivation leading to serious soil erosion like in Nyangweta Hills. The Nyangweta forest needs replanting as it was recently burnt down. Sensitization and training of communities on soil conservation methods throughout the county has been an ongoing activity conducted by both the government departments, communities and NGOs.

 d) Provision of wood fuel and Generation of energy for industries e.g. for Tea Estates

Majority of the people in the county rely on wood fuel for their energy needs. The Tea factories in the county like Eberege tea factory,Tendere tea factory, Kiamokama  tea factory and Nyamache tea factory mainly use firewood as a source of energy hence they have been encouraged to source for land to plant trees and to exploit other sources of energy.

(e) Improvement of Soil fertility by growing fertilizer trees

There is need to encourage farmers/communities to grow fertilizer trees in order to improve soil fertility in the county so as to reduce over-reliance of in-organic fertilizers which are harmful to the ecology.

 f) Growing of fruit trees for improved nutrition both   for Domestic use and surplus for markets

 Growing of fruit trees in various parts of the county is an upcoming sector in the county economy. This is mainly attributed to increased yields as a result of improved extension services and use of certified seeds. Farmers are now going into the business with more seriousness. Due to the favourable climatic conditions, the county is the leading producer of bananas, Pineapples, Avocados, passion fruits among other fruits. A banana processing plant is under construction in Kisii.                

g). Beautification activities in Towns, highways, schools, homes and other public places.

    Beautification   activities throughout the county are undertaken by the local Authorities, schools, individuals and corporate community.

h) Animal Feeds production ventures

The county has a high potential of animal feed production ventures due to increase in zero grazing activities as a result of small land holdings, however, they remain untapped hence investors are encouraged to venture in this area.

i) Growing and processing for medicinal purposes/ Value plants and products   

Owing to good climatic condition, the county has a high potential for growing of medicinal plants. Medicinal plants have a high demand in the current market due to its affordability compared to conventional medicine.

Environment and Climate change

Major contributors to environmental degradation in the county

The major contributor to environmental degradation in the county is Population pressure which has resulted in destruction of water catchment areas like Nyansembe forest in Gucha South district for farming purposes. The depletion of vegetation, together with the hilly terrain also contributes to soil erosion in the county. The application of farm chemicals has caused pollution on both surface and undersurface water sources.

The coffee and tea processing factories contribute to water pollution through discharging the effluent into the rivers. Mining of soapstone has also led to land degradation. To reduce environmental degradation, there is need to encourage use of organic farming and protection of hilltops by afforestaion and encouraging agro forestry.

 Effects of environmental degradation

The main effects of environmental degradation are destruction of water catchment areas, increased spread of diseases like malaria due to uncovered quarries sites as well as landslides .There is pollution on both surface and undersurface water. Due to deforestation, rainfall patterns are gradually changing and this has made it difficult for farmers to predict the weather patterns.

Climate change and its effects in the county

The weather pattern has significantly changed resulting to unpredictable planting seasons in the county. This has led to poor agricultural produce resulting to high levels of food insecurity.

Climate change mitigation measures and adaptation strategies

Some of the mitigation measures and adaptation strategies are protection of catchment areas through planting of tree species that do not use a lot of water ,protection of land exposed to soil erosion and reclamation through terracing and gabion construction. Other measures include rehabilitation of infertile land through use of organic materials and encourage usage of renewable energy like the use of biogas and solar energy which are environmental friendly.

Mining

On-going activities

The mining of Tabaka soapstone in Kisii County is an important economic activity in the county since it provides over seven thousand people with incomes. This mineral is mainly used in the making of carvings which are sold locally and abroad. The traders need to be encouraged to form cooperative societies to assist in marketing the artworks to protect them from middle men who are exploitative.

Mining potentials

The soapstone mining has enormous potential for development in the manufacture of tiles and chalk. Another mining potential in the county is granite which  is found in Bonchari, Bogiakumu area in Kisii County. The granite can be taken to Athi River for processing of tiles. The small market for this mineral and its unorganized marketing channels are inhibiting its full exploitation.

Tourism

Main tourist attractions

There are potential tourist attractions sites like Tabaka soapstone, river kuja among others which need to be exploited. Hence there is need to build tourist hotels especially in Tabaka and provide proper publicity.

 Main Wildlife

Due to the high population density in the County, almost all land is put to maximum agricultural use almost displacing wild animals .Only a few wild animals like porcupines, monkeys, snakes and various species of birds live in the bushy river valleys. There are no registered game parks in the county but some geological sites can offer good tourist sites. Hence there is need to earmark sites to keep the monkeys and other wildlife to avoid conflicts with the farmers.

 Tourist class hotels/restaurants

Kisii County does not have tourist class hotels/ restaurants at the moment, but there is need to put up such hotels to attract tourists from Masai Mara in the Narok county and Ruma Park in Homabay county. 

Employment  and Other Sources of Income

Wage earners

The informal sector activities are common in the county. The sector is engaged in activities like jembe making, repair and metal fabrication as well as furniture making in Suneka in Kisii South district. The sale of second hand clothes has spread throughout the county and it is employing a substantial number of people. This sector has more potential for development and has ready market for its product given the high population in the county. Banks and insurance companies, besides the government departments provide employment in the formal sector in the county.

Self-employed

 The majority of the youths in the county are unemployed and therefore there is need to encourage them form youth groups and link them to financial institutions for credit facilities to enable them access funds to either start or expand their boda  businesses in order to reduce crime rates.

 Labour Force

Based on the 2009 population and housing census, the projected labour force in 2012 in the county is 695,024 representing 56.5 of the total population.  The males are 318,510 while the females are slightly higher at 376,513.  Most of the labour force is unskilled with only a small percentage engaged in formal employment.  It is estimated that only 46% of the total labour force is literate implying that only a relatively small population can be absorbed into the formal employment.  There is therefore need for the youth to enroll into vocational training institutions so as to enhance their skills in various areas in both the formal and informal sectors.

Unemployment Levels

The unemployment level in Kisii County is estimated at about 61% of which the majorities are the youths. Hence, there is need to link them to financial institutions to enable them start small scales businesses themselves and encourage them to get vocational trainings in government subsidized youth polytechnics.

Water and Sanitation

Water Resources

The county has several permanent rivers and streams which drain into Lake Victoria. Kuja which rises from Kiabonyoru hills in Nyamira County is the main river and has adequate water for the development of a mini hydro electric station. Other streams are mogonga, mogusii, Riana and Iyabe. There are also numerous springs and boreholes which are sources of clean water for both human and livestock. It is important to note that sources of water in the county are varied ranging from, springs, streams and roof catchments. Most of the water is untreated except for the Kisii Water Supply.

Water supply schemes

There are no water supply schemes in Kisii County except one main pumping station at Kegati in Nyaribari Chache constituency. There is therefore need to expand the existing station in order to cater for the rising population in the county.

Water sources

In Kisii County, the average distance to the nearest water point is about 2km. This is as result of the numerous wells, springs and streams roof catchment and boreholes except along the Kisii/Transmara border.

Sanitation

Kisii County does not have good drainage system and most towns in the county have poor drainage. Waste management is not properly managed in the county because there are no designated sites for wastes. Most households have pit latrines in the county. Hence there is need to connect households to the sewer lines especially in major towns and establish dumping sites or start a waste recycling plant.

Health Access and Nutrition

Health Access

There are 71 level 2, 18 level 3, 8 level 4 and 1 level 5 hospitals in the county which include private and mission hospitals. The government operates about 65% of the facilities while the rest are managed by the private and mission hospitals. Most facilities especially those constructed by CDF in various constituencies lack personnel and even drugs. Due to the high population in the county, there is need to upgrade some of the health centres and equip them to decongest Kisii level 5 hospital. If all the constructed facilities are equipped, then the household distance to the nearest health centre will be reduced from the current 4 km to 2km.

 Morbidity

The morbidity rate in the county is 22.7% for men and 27.4% for women. The five most common diseases in the county in order of preference are Malaria, diarrhea, urinary tract infections, skin diseases, pneumonia and respiratory diseases. Hence there is need to clean the environment to reduce breeding places for mosquitoes and encouraging families to sleep under treated mosquito nets. The water sources should be protected to prevent water borne diseases.

 Nutritional status

The county has a few number of stunted children growths due to low intakes of nutritious foods. The low nutrition levels in the county are partly attributed to lack of taking balanced diets due to ignorance among the mothers. Hence there is need to teach nutritional educations in all in public barazas and churches, besides schools in order to have healthy children.

 Immunization coverage

The immunization coverage in the county is estimated at over 90% in the county against common diseases such as polio. Therefore there is need to ensure 100% immunization through public sensitization on the importance of immunization. This will reduce child mortality rates in the county and accelerate the achievement of the MDG goal number 4.

Access to family planning services /Contraceptive prevalence

The cultural belief of having many children for social security during old age is being discarded in the county. Trends in family planning indicate that the current acceptance rate is between 70-75%.There are several health facilities in the county offering family planning services. There need to enhance family planning campaigns in order to reduce the pressure on available land overstretching of other amenities.

 Education and Literacy

Pre-School Education

 In 2012, the population of this age group is estimated is estimated to be 226,880 and 257,834 in 2015. In order to adequately serve the interest of this age cohort, there is need to expandand make accessible the early childhood development centres especially in the rural areas.  There are 904 ECD centres in the county with 1184 teachers. This indicates that each centre is having 251 children; this number is too big for one centre to give quality attention.

Primary Education

The population of this age group is 312,844 representing about 25.5 percent of the total population of the county. The increasing population of this age group calls for increased investment in basic education facilities and to develop more vocational training facilities to absorb dropouts. There are 467 primary schools in the county with 6,278 teachers. The teacher student ratio is 1:50 and enrollment in 2012 is 311, 700 with a transition rate of 90%.

Literacy

The literacy levels among adults in the county are high. The overall illiteracy rate the county stands at 10.45%.Attempts have been made to spread adult education in the county but these efforts have been thwarted by men who feel shy that they will be considered illiterate. Women in the county have of course shown some remarkable acceptance of adult classes mainly due to group advice and encouragement amongst themselves.

The government is also making efforts of employing adult teachers on permanent basis. According to 2009 Population and Housing census, 27,151 males and 19,631 females had gone through basic education while 465,107 males and 502,953 females were in school. A total of 44,434 male and 74,063 had never attended school. The literacy is relatively high in the county, estimated at 89.5%.

 Secondary Education

The population for the secondary age going is 131,821 with 66,328 males and 65,493 females representing 10.7 per cent of the total population of the county.  The increasing population of this age group implies that the county will need to create openings in training institutions as well as employment opportunities to absorb them. 

There are 334 secondary schools both private and public in the county and 3,940 teachers and a teacher student ratio of 1:48. The number of enrolled students is 189,120 with a dropout rate of 6%.  This group is currently the potential labour force and the challenges are to ensure that jobs are available to absorb those who will not pursue further education.  The challenge is to ensure they acquire the necessary skills for the competitive job market.

Tertiary Education

The youthful population represents 31.4% of the total county population. Sixty one per cent (61%) of the unemployed persons in the county are within this age group. This calls for the county to implement projects and programmes that will address unemployment including capacity building on entrepreneurship so that they can be self employed and effectively contribute to the socio-economic development of the county.  The county also needs to scale up campaigns against drug abuse and HIV/AIDS infections.

MTEF Sector profile

The sector profile gives a brief overview of the major key sectors in the county that are the major driving force towards achieving vision 2030.These sectors includes: Agriculture and Rural Development, Energy, Infrastructure and ICT, General Economic, Commercial and Labour Affairs, Health, Education, Public Administration and international Relations, Social Protection Culture and Recreation, Governance Justice Law and Order and Environmental Protection Water and Housing.

Agriculture and Rural Development

The Agriculture and Rural Development Sector comprises the following sub-sectors: Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries Development, Cooperatives, Lands, forestry and wildlife. The sector contributes about 60% to the county’s economy and therefore plays a major role towards poverty reduction and creation of employment opportunities. The sector is expected to play a significant role towards achievement of the targets set in the County Development Plan.

The goals of the sector include: creation of an enabling environment for competition; enhanced efficiency and effectiveness in service delivery; and ensuring sustainable management of resources. The strategic objectives of the sector include: raising productivity and profitability through efficient allocation of resources; accelerating growth for sustainable socio-economic development; and creating an enabling environment for effective private sector participation.

Under agriculture, ninety per cent of the land is arable land. The main crops grown include beans, maize, tea, coffee, finger millet, potatoes, pyrethrum, sugarcane and groundnuts.. This sub sector however has to deal with high cost of inputs, crop diseases, pests and lack of affordable credit facilities to farmers.

The county has active farmers’ cooperative societies.

Livestock production is guided by the objective to enhance and promote sustainable livestock production, marketing of livestock and livestock by-products and value addition through appropriate policy and legal framework while conserving the natural resources. It is characterized by breeding of cattle mainly dairy and zebu.  Poultry kept include: indigenous chicken, layers, broiler, ducks, turkeys and geese. Dairy and local goats are also kept in the county. Sheep are kept for wool while bees are kept in Kenya Top Bee Hive (KTBH), Lang troth and Log hives. Rabbits and donkeys are also kept but the numbers are small. This sub sector however is faced with the challenge of lack of fodder for livestock since land sizes are small and the cost of inputs such as pesticides is high.

The main species of fish cultured are warm water species which include Nile Tilapia (Oreochromis niloticus), Cat fish (Clarias gariepinus) and red belly tilapia (Tilapia Zillii).with the introduction of the fish enterprise productivity programme under the economic stimulus package, a lot of fish ponds have been constructed and their progress is very impressive. The only challenge faced is the sourcing and breeding of fingerlings to supply farmers adequately.

There are four categories of SACCOs in the county namely; Rural, Multipurpose, Urban and Jua kali. In this sub-sector, cooperative societies are sensitized on marketing and value addition. They improve market access and marketing efficiency in the county. Some of the challenges faced in this sub-sector are financial mismanagement and leadership wrangles.

General Economic, Commercial and Labour Affairs

This sector comprises of Trade, Tourism, and industrialization, Labour, Regional Development Authorities, Research and Development.

This sector plays a very crucial role in the economic development of the county. The sector generates a lot of income and employment as it absorbs both skilled and unskilled labour. The interface among factors of production in this sector leads to various productive activities yielding many goods and services for consumption within the county and for export to other parts of the country.

The county acts as a commercial hub for the southern Nyanza region. It also serves as a wholesale focal point for almost all merchandise trade within the region and beyond. Kisii Town also provides the region with banking facilities. However, one area that still has a great potential yet to be exploited is the area of tourist hotel development.

The mining of Kisii soapstone is an important economic activity in the county which provides employment to over 5000 people both directly and indirectly. This mineral is mainly used in making carvings which are sold locally and abroad. The marketing of the soapstone products is partly done by Tabaka soapstone cooperative society. There is also a great potential existing in commercial brick making in some areas of the county but its full exploitation is inhibited by lack of organized cooperative societies

Energy, Infrastructure and ICT

This sector comprises of such subsector as Roads, Transport, Energy public works and information and Communications.

The overall goal of the sector is to have a well developed and maintained physical infrastructure for rapid and sustainable economic growth and poverty reduction. This sector works to facilitate adequate provision of roads and buildings through policy development, providing logistical and technical support in road construction and maintenance, mobilization of resources from both the public and private sectors for construction and maintenance of roads and buildings. The sector also assists in dissemination of research findings and promotion of wide application of innovative materials and technologies. It also develops and maintains both office and residential accommodation of various government departments.

The roads and public works sub-sector is responsible for development, rehabilitation and maintenance of the road network in the county (classified, urban and rural roads as well as roads in National Parks and reserves). The county is hilly and has clay soil hence this makes road construction expensive. The availability of devolved funds from government such as Fuel Levy and CDF has contributed greatly in opening up and rehabilitation of roads in the county.

The energy sub-sector facilitates the provision of clean, affordable, reliable, secure and sustainable energy services for county development. Only 1.6% of the households in the county have electricity connection, 85.7% use wood fuel and 6% use kerosene. The number of households using wood fuel is large and this poses a threat to forests and water catchments.

This calls for the Department of Renewable Energy to promote sources of renewable energy. Both fixed and mobile telephone services are offered by Telkom Kenya, Safaricom and Airtel. Features include Internet, EVDO, and VOIP, Call forwarding. There are 5 private courier services offered by Akamba courier services, G4 Securicor supplement, EMS speed post offered by Telkom Kenya; and several licensed stamp vendors across the county. The county has one library managed by the National Library services and Information Dissemination Centre under the Planning Office – Kisii central. Radio stations include Egesa Fm, Citizen, KBC, BBC, Ramogi and Easy FM all receivable. TV stations receivable include; KBC channel 1, Citizen TV, NSTV and KTN. Main challenges in this sector still remain inaccessibility to cyber cafes by rural population and vandalism of telecommunication equipments.

Research work carried out by Kenya Agricultural Research Institute (KARI), International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and International Centre for Insects Physiology and Ecology (ICIPE) contribute greatly to crop production in the county through the development of hybrid seeds. Continued support of agricultural research is therefore imperative in the attainment of the sector vision and mission.

Environmental protection, Water and Housing

This Sector comprises of Environment and Mineral Resources, Water and Irrigation and Housing sub-sectors.

This sector consists of the water and irrigation; and the environment and mineral resources sub sectors. The water sub-sector promotes and supports integrated water resource management and development to enhance water availability and accessibility in the county. The county has two major water supplies namely Kisii Water Supply and Birongo Water Supply. Kisii Water Supply has two water intakes at Kegati along river Kuja in Kegati location, Kiogoro division which is entirely a pumping scheme; the other is along Nyakomisaro River in Bosongo location and is entirely a gravity scheme.

Birongo Community Water Supply was constructed by the “Freedom from Hunger Walk Council” and was initially managed by the community but in the year 2007 the management of Gusii Water and Sanitation Company took over. There are also other relatively smaller water projects spread all over the county. Other sources of water include ground water, hand dug wells, boreholes, springs and rain water harvesting. However, the rapidly growing population of Kisii County poses a challenge as the available water and sanitation facilities are unable to provide the residents with clean water and sanitation services.   

Education

The sub-sectors under the Education Sector are Education and Higher Education, Science and Technology

The overall goal of the education sub-sector is to achieve Education for All (EFA) and Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) by 2015. The sector has a total of 904 pre-primary schools, with a total enrolment of 41,239 pupils, 467 primary schools with a total average enrolment of 231,651 pupils, 334 secondary schools with a total average enrolment of 74,843.There are 6260 teachers in primary schools falling short by 1406 teachers. Secondary schools have 3,936 teachers falling short by 369 teachers. The county also has 21 tertiary learning institutions. Dropout rates are 11 %, 30.2% and 10.8% in pre-primary, Primary and Secondary schools respectively. The overall literacy rate is 60.8%.

Health

The Health Sector comprises of Medical Services and Public Health and Sanitation sub-sectors.

The overall goal of the health sub sector is to provide efficient and high quality health care system that is accessible, equitable and affordable for every person in the county. To achieve this, the following have been put in place; 71 Level 2 Hospitals, 18 Level 3 Hospitals and 8 Level 4 Hospitals and 1 Level 5 Hospital. HIV/Aids prevalence in the county is 5.4%.Contraceptive uptake is 70%. Some of the Constraints include; frequent shortage of blood in the blood bank, Low uptake of PMTCT services, inadequate space for VCT counselors and inadequate funding however there is skilled human resource to carry out all the curative and Preventive health service.

Governance, Justice, Law and Order

The county has two law courts, one GK prison and three police stations in Kisii town, Rioma, and Ogembo together with posts in Keumbu, Kiong’anyo, Nyamaiya, Etago, Ramasha, Gesonso, and Nyangusu to administer justice and enforce law and order. The prison facilities are overstretched due to high number of inmates. Security has become a serious issue in the county giving way to the emergence of militia groups such as Sungusungu and Chinkororo. There is one child rescue centre being constructed at Kisii central station to provide services to children who need special protection.

Public Administration and International Relations

The Public Administration and International Relations comprises of the following: Commission for constitution implementation, Police Commission, Foreign Affairs, Planning National, Finance, among others.

The County planning unit, the local authorities that is: Gusii county council and the Municipal council of Kisii and the county treasury are some of the departments that constitute this sector at the county level. The county planning unit is charged with the responsibilities of coordination and supervision of development projects in the county. This is achieved through monitoring and evaluating the implementation of development projects by government departments, the Constituency Development Fund and those undertaken by other development partners in the county. The primary goal of this sector is to ensure prudent and effective management of allocated funds and to avoid duplication of development efforts. The local authorities are also tasked with the role of fostering and supplementing the implementation of projects at the grass root levels.

Social protection Culture and Recreation

This sector comprises of the following sub sectors: National Heritage and Culture, Gender, Children and Social Development, Special Programmes, Youth Affairs and Sports.

Youth in the county form 31% of the total population. There are 1200 youth groups 80 of which received funding from Youth Fund and 760 micro enterprises owned by the youth in the county. However, unemployment and drug abuse still remains a challenge since 61% of the unemployed are the youth and 92% of the unemployed youth lack job training. 450 self help group and 1200 youth help and 1000 women groups are registered respectively carrying out activities in various sectors. Gusii stadium is used to promote sporting activities and for holding demonstrations for new technologies in various sectors for adoption by the communities.

The cultural department is tasked with the responsibility of registering cultural groups throughout Kisii County. These groups include non-educational institutions, choirs, dancers, artists, herbalists, and drama groups.

County Fact sheet

The fact sheet provides socio-economic data of the county at a glance as at 2012.

Table: 9 County Fact Sheet