Garissa Governor Nathif Jama on Wednesday defended his administration’s track record, highlighting gains in water, health, agriculture, livestock, education and technical training.
He spoke during his state of the county address.
He also cited ongoing projects under Garissa Rural Water Services Corporation (Garuwasco) in Modogashe, Maalimin, Masalani, Balambala, Dadaab and Ijara, which he said had transformed lives by easing access to safe water.
Turning to health, Jama pointed to multimillion-shilling upgrades at Garissa Level 5 Referral and Teaching Hospital, including new equipment, refurbished wards, expanded diagnostics and increased staffing. He said county facilities were now better stocked and equipped to handle life-saving surgeries.
Garissa Governor Nathif Jama (seated, centre)with the county assembly leadership and MCAs
after delivering his state of the county address speech.
In the livestock sector, the governor described pastoralism as Garissa’s “heartbeat”, citing large-scale vaccination campaigns, new water pans and boreholes, and livestock markets across subcounties as evidence of sustained investment.
Education also featured prominently, with Jama saying early childhood development centres (ECDEs) had increased to 328, up from 181, alongside 375 teachers.
The governor praised MCAs for their role in passing laws and budgets that he said anchored service delivery, stressing that executive–assembly cooperation had enabled progress.
Governor Nathif Jama’s state of the county address was less a policy speech and more a defence of his three-year record. By highlighting projects in water, health, livestock and education, Jama sought to counter criticism over service delivery and portray his administration as transformational. His strongest pitch came on water and health, where tangible upgrades are visible, but challenges such as Garissa town’s overstretched infrastructure remain. By crediting MCAs for their partnership, Jama also appeared keen to secure political goodwill ahead of future budget battles. The address sets the tone for how he wants his legacy framed.
