Turkana: Turkana County Government has rolled out official uniforms for all its village administrators in a move aimed at enhancing their visibility and reinforcing their role as frontline representatives of the county at the grassroots level.
According to Kenya News Agency, the uniforms, which include a black cap, brown-colored top, and matching trousers and shoes, were distributed to the first group of village administrators at a ceremony presided over by the CEC for Public Service, Administration, and Disaster Management, Anthony Apalia. During the ceremony, CEC Apalia expressed that the initiative aligns with the need to boost the officers’ public recognition during service delivery.
CEC Apalia noted that the move was overdue, as the county had already provided uniforms to ward and sub-county level administrators in the past. Including village administrators in this initiative aims to enhance their official status. “You are now properly branded to reflect your status as an official representative of the County Government at the village level. We now want you to serve with dignity and discipline,” he told the village administrators.
David Maraka, the Chief Officer for Administration and Disaster Management, described the uniform as the starting point of a carefully crafted plan to revamp the outlook of the village administrators’ position. He hinted that plans to equip the officers with gadgets for performing work-related duties have already been approved by the department and are currently awaiting funding. “With the new uniform, you will no longer be sidelined during public events and calls of duty as has been the case before. You are now fully recognizable,” he said.
At a time when the Governor has publicly directed relevant offices to further empower the village administrators, it’s believed that the funds allocated to their respective offices for operations will soon be released to make the office fully functional.
With the supply, Turkana joins a growing list of counties that have introduced official uniforms for officers expected to function as disciplined units, following a national trend set by the Kenya Police and National Government Administrative Officers (NGAO).