Kwale County Executive Committee Member for Social Services and Talent Management who is also the Acting County Executive Committee Member for Tourism and Enterprise Development Ramadhan Masudi Bungale has today led the county in marking the International Day of Cooperatives at a function held at Mvindeni in Msambweni Sub County.

Addressing members of different Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies from the county who gathered to mark this year’s celebrations, Mr. Bungale said the County Government of Kwale is implementing a model to ensure all SACCOs in the county flourish.

“As a County Government, we are implementing a cooperatives model that will ensure all Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies in Kwale County are self-dependant,” Bungale explained.

He has further explained that the County Government of Kwale has employed Cooperative Officers in each Sub County to ensure that the cooperative movement in the county is successful.

“Very soon the County Government of Kwale will employ Cooperative Auditors who will make sure that Cooperative Societies are transparent and accountable in their management systems and book keeping,” He added.

However the CEC member challenged all active SACCOs in Kwale County to position themselves in the county government’s agenda, for them to benefit from the county’s investments plans geared at realizing the Big Four development agendas.

On his side, Kwale County Executive Committee Member for Finance Bakari Hassan Sebe who was also present at the event urged residents of Kwale County to join the cooperative movement saying that savings and credit cooperative societies are a good way of saving for future investments.

“Saving and Credit Cooperative Societies are a key driver in the growth of the national economy, and without them the Kenyan economy could not have reached where it is today,” Sebe explained.

The event begun with a procession of members drawn from various Savings and Credit Cooperative Societies at Kona Ya Musa in Ukunda to Mvindeni where the celebrations have been held.

The theme for the 2018 International Day of Cooperatives is “Sustainable Consumption and Production of Goods and Services” which creates an opportunity for cooperatives to show how they run successful businesses whilst respecting our natural environment and the resources it offers.

The International Day of Cooperative is an annual event celebrated on the first Saturday of the month of July with an aim of creating awareness on the cooperative movement and highlighting its contributions to the society.    

Kwale Deputy Governor HE Fatuma Achani earlier today graced an assessment event on children with disabilities at Kids Care Center-Mshiu in Lunga Lunga Sub County.

This assessment event was geared at gathering information on Yes We Can, a project started in December 2017 by KidsCare Kenya with an aim of improving the livelihoods of children with mental and/or physical disabilities in Lunga Lunga Sub County.

Addressing parents present at the event, Achani assured that the County Government of Kwale will continue supporting people living with disabilities in the county, and all projects aimed at benefiting them.

The Deputy Governor has also asked parents living with children with disabilities not to hide their children, but take them to special schools.

At the same time the Deputy Governor emphasized that children/people living with disabilities have equal rights as others, and they should be given the opportunity to realize their goals in life.

She has also called upon all people living with disabilities to form development groups for them to access development funds from the county and national governments.

Oh his side Kwale County Executive Committee Member for Social Services and Talent Management Mr. Ramadhan Masudi Bungale said his department is committed to working together with stakeholders in ensuring that people living with disabilities get the required support.

He has also asked the community in Kwale County to avoid stigmatizing people living with disabilities, and ensure these people get their basic human rights.

The Yes We Can Assessment event mainly focused on gathering information about the conditions of children with disabilities, and asses the cause of their disabilities and how best they can be helped in terms of psychological well-being, health, and better living conditions.

Through the Yes We Can project by KidSCare Kenya has helped over 50 children living with disabilities together with their caregivers, and is planning to expand the project to reach more children and families.

Kwale Governor Salim Mvurya has earlier this morning officially received two Cuban doctors who will be working in the county for the next two years. The two specialists are among 100 Cuban medics contracted to work in Kenya in an exchange programme with their Kenyan counterparts under the Kenya-Cuba Health Cooperation framework.

In his statement after welcoming the medics to Kwale County, Governor Mvurya assured them of getting full support from the County Government during their term of service in Kwale.

“As a leadership, we will give you all the support needed and we expect to work with you very closely. So you are welcome to share ideas with our specialists here in Kwale,” Mvurya explained.

At the same time the Governor expressed confidence that Kwale County will benefit a lot from the two specialists from Cuba.

“Cuba has been very successful in community health, and therefore as a government we are looking forward to learning a lot from your experiences so that we can also improve our healthcare services here in Kwale,” He stated.

On her part Kwale Deputy Governor Fatuma Achani who was also present wished the two specialists from Cuba all the best as they serve the people of Kwale County.

“I am very happy that we have received two female specialists here in Kwale, and we are hoping that by the end of their two years service our health sector will have also grown as a county,” She stated.

The two are an Intensive Care Unit (ICU) specialist who will be based in Msambweni Referral Hospital, and a Family Doctor who will be serving in one of the public hospitals in the county.

They have also expressed their sincere gratitude for getting the opportunity to work in Kenya and especially in Kwale County.

“We are very grateful and happy to stay here in Kwale and we are going to work hard and cooperate with the Kenyan specialists to improve the health services and we are going to exchange knowledge in the next two years of our stay,” said Dr. Aderana Ramirez.  

Their arrival comes at a time when the County Government of Kwale is adopting a Universal Healthcare system.