H.

THE

GOVERNORS

SPEECH

DURING

SIGNING

OF

IMPLEMENTATION AGREEMENT BETWEEN SIAYA COUNTY

AND GIZ KENYA 17th APRIL 2015.
1. H. E Wilson Ouma Onyango, the Deputy Governor Siaya
County,
2. GIZ

Country

Director

Kenya

and

Somalia,

Hendrik

Linneweber
3. GIZ Programme Director, Dr. Andrea Bahm,
4. Chairman, Agriculture Committee, Hon. Joseph Agoko
5. All CECMs and COs present,
6. All County Directors and Members of Department

of

Agriculture, Livestock, Irrigation and Fisheries

Honourable Guests, Ladies and Gentlemen.
Let me take this opportunity to welcome all of you to Siaya
County, specifically to my office. Karibuni nyumbani and feel at
home. It is my pleasure to be with you here today as we witness
the signing of this implementation agreement between us, the
Siaya County government and GIZ Kenya. The aim of this
agreement is to improve Food Security through better agricultural
productivity.

Today

we

shall

also

launch

Local

Poultry

vaccination initiative and the handing over of Certificates to our

recently trained pioneer 30 Trainer of Trainers for CBET (Capacity
Based Education Training) in Siaya County.
Note that all the functions of crop, animal husbandry, veterinary
services and fisheries are largely devolved. My government
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recognizes the role of the Agriculture Sector and has made it one
of its flagships. This is where the Food Security Programme we
have just signed with GIZ is domiciled.

The overall objective of this programme is to support a

sustainable,market oriented and climate resilient agriculture.This
objective of bilateral cooperation rhymes with a number of
projects

that

the

County

is

currently

implementing.

My

Government is fully committed to the achievement of food

security as an objective.

Todays signing of this implementation agreement marks a major

milestone in addressing food security as envisaged in the CIDP. It
follows the aspirations of Siaya residents that the Agriculture
Sector which is fully devolved needs enhanced support in
implementing the functions that have been transferred.
Ladies and Gentlemen, am pleased to announce a number of
notable achievements realized under this partnership since its
inception. They include conclusion of a baseline survey on
farming systems, Short term interventions at Siaya ATC, Training
of 30 TOTs (trainer of trainers) in the CBET methodology among
others. Other key areas of partnership between the GIZ and the
County

Government

of

Siaya

include

Soil

protection

and

rehabilitation, green network innovations (sweet potatoes and

Dairy) and the much anticipated Lower Nzoia Irrigation Scheme.
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The County Government will consistently partner with GIZ Kenya

and other development partners to meet the aspirations of the
people of Siaya.
Ladies and Gentlemen, On CBET graduates,
The County recognizes that the extension service is one of the
priority functions of the agricultural sector. Am aware that a wellfunctioning agricultural extension service operated by the public
and private sectors is one of the critical inputs required for
increased

agricultural

productivity

to

transform

subsistence

farming into modern and commercial farming to attain food

security, improve incomes and reduce poverty.
However, the challenges facing the sector call for a broader and a
different approach. The former extension methodologies had
weaknesses: they were top-down and prescriptive with high
demand on human, capital and financial resources.
The

CBET

articulating

methodology
the

addresses

importance

of

these

clientele

weaknesses
participation

by
and

transformative extension system. Am confident that the 30

pioneer TOT (trainer of Trainers) for CBET (Capacity Based
Education Training) present today are well equipped to the task.
Having experienced and witnessed the methodology in Bavaria,
Germany, I personally support it. Todays issuance of certificates
is just my personal support and commitment to the work ahead of
you.
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And finally on todays poultry vaccination, Ladies and

Gentlemen, I must applaud the efforts by Dr. Bahm and entire
GIZ fraternity, in leading the way in this initiative that seeks to
complement the efforts by my government. Under my leadership,
have initiated a number of poultry initiatives namely; purchase
and distribution of chicks, purchase of vaccines and strengthening
the extension staff to enhance their mobility and technical
capability to reach vast poultry farmers across the County among
others. However, a lot remains to be done. The County fully
support

this

initiative

and

will

consistently

pursue

similar

initiatives with an intention of up scaling.

In Siaya, poultry farming is practiced in small scale mostly for
domestic consumption. The available statistics indicate almost all
the households own chicken with the local indigenous chicken
being dominant. In recent past, the consumption of poultry
products has grown and has created a great increase in demand.
We look upon the GIZ to help us advance poultry farming in Siaya.
Thank you.
God bless you.
God Bless Siaya.

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