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 All necessary arrangements have been put in place for this year’s Madaraka Day celebrations to be held tomorrow at Masinde Muliro stadium in Kanduyi, Bungoma county.

Internal Security Principal Secretary Dr Raymond Omollo yesterday said the theme of this year’s celebrations is agriculture and food security and that the government was increasing access to resources in order to reduce food production costs, eliminate the influence of cartels, and ultimately improve agricultural productivity and food security in the region.

The Ministry of Agriculture organized an exhibition from Monday to yesterday at Kibabii University Grounds to showcase various aspects of agricultural skills.

“Aligning with this year’s Madaraka Day theme of Agriculture and Food Security, we are proud to have supported the Ministry of Agriculture and Livestock Development in successfully registering 203,310 farmers of maize, tea, sugarcane, poultry, dairy and more in Bungoma county,” Interior ministry said.

According to PS Omollo, this achievement is part of the National Farmer Registration exercise conducted by National Government Administrative Officers (NGAOs), aimed at enhancing the distribution of agricultural inputs and subsidized fertilizer.

Transition rate

Bungoma as the host county has benefited where the NGAOs, in support of the Ministry of Education have successfully achieved a 96.8 per cent transition rate of students from primary to secondary school paving the way for their journey to higher learning.

Omollo who has been leading the National Celebrations Steering Committee said after inspection they were satisfied that the Masinde Muliro Stadium and other facilities in Bungoma county had been renovated to host the celebrations.

The stadium, now boasting a seating capacity of 40,000, has undergone significant structural upgrades within a strict timespan of four months, transforming it into a state-of-the-art facility.

National pride

These enhancements not only provide a modern amenity for local users but also position the stadium as a premier venue for future, international sporting events, contributing to the growth of the local economy while at the same time, offering the necessary aesthetics and national pride.

The team has been working closely with Bungoma governor Kenneth Lusaka and the County Commissioner Thomas Sankei.

The government had directed that the celebrations be held in different counties

In October last year, the 14th edition of Mashujaa Day celebrations was held in Kericho where the Universal Health Care was also unveiled.

The celebrations were anchored on Universal Health Care (UHC), with the theme being ‘Access to Universal Health Care.’

The Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha and Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua launched community health promoters and also a weeklong event at Kapkatet stadium showcasing the interventions that the government had undertaken on the healthcare space.

The main celebrations were held at Kericho Green Stadium whose capacity was increased to 10,000. The scope of the expansion also included construction of three more Steel Terraces within the open spaces to accommodate more people.

The stadium was also supplied with essential utilities, particularly electricity, water and sewerage systems.

Sections of roads within the town were also upgraded, key among them the 1.58km circumferential road around Kericho open-air market, the 1km K.I.E–Isaac Salat Road, the 1.5km Guru Nanak Temple–Mosque Road, the 1.7km Cemetery–Cereals–Siloam Road. Functional street lights were also erected within the entire municipality and along the highway. The KDF was in charge of the facelift. Last year’s Madaraka Day celebrations were held at the Moi Stadium in Embu. The stadium was also refurbished by the KDF and local contractors.