By Hellen Atieno
Siaya County has completed a rigorous three-week assessment for the Kenya Devolution Support Program (KDSP) II, conducted by Independent Verification Assessors through the State Department for Devolution. Following the final evaluation, the county is now positioned to access a portion of the Ksh. 352 million level 2 project grant earmarked for the Siaya County Referral Hospital Mother Baby Complex.
The final assessment day focused on Minimum Access Conditions (MACs) and Key Result Area (KRA) 3. Failure to meet any MAC leads to immediate disqualification from the program. Siaya received a "clean bill of health" from assessor Mr. Bright Wekesa, successfully demonstrating:
* DLI 2:Disaggregated Own Source Revenue (OSR) disclosure for FY 24/25.
* DLI 3:Verified disclosure of pending bills and commitments.
* DLI 4:Implementation plans for HR audits and approved staff establishments.
* Infrastructure: Social, environmental, and climate change screening for proposed investments.
The county scored a perfect 100% under KRA 3 (Oversight, Participation, and Accountability). Mr. Wekesa lauded Siaya for establishing one of the nation’s premier project management dashboards, featuring robust citizen feedback interfaces. He emphasized that while the technical features are exemplary, the county must continue to prioritize public sensitization to ensure the tool is utilized effectively.
The assessment also incorporated findings from earlier evaluations this month:
* KRA 1 (Sustainable Financing):Assessed on April 8, 2026, the county provided evidence of revenue growth, 70% automation of OSR collection, and a 20% reduction in pending bills from the 23/24 financial year.
* KRA 2 (Human Resource Management):Evaluated on April 14, 2026, the county showed strong performance, though gaps were noted in the full utilization of HRIS-Ke and the automation of performance contracting.
Mr. Walter Okelo, Chief Officer Governance, Administration, and ICT, chaired the final debriefing. He commended the County Program Implementation Unit (CPIU), led by Mr. Peter Ligulu, for their dedication. The county now awaits a harmonized report from the State Department for Devolution to determine the final grant disbursement for the Mother Baby Complex.