The Government of Meru County joined the league of top five counties in the country to launch their first County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP).

The Launch, officiated by Hon. Governor Peter Munya at a Meru Hotel, provides a road map through which the County’s strategic plan in derived. The CIDP details all the programmes the county wishes to undertake within the period running from 2013 through 2017.

The CIDP details specific projects to be undertaken by the Government of Meru County, the methodologies, the deliverables, as well as the time frames at which they should be achieved.

According to Governor Munya, the Government of Meru County has met its constitutional obligation and laws relating to devolution by preparing the five-year County Integrated Development Plan (CIDP), 2013-2017, saying that the process was participatory.

"The process of developing the CIDP has been fully participatory from the grassroots. I wish to thank all those who have played a part in the same," said the Governor.

He added; "To achieve the Meru County vision of "A United Prosperous Green Model County", the County has prioritized key sectors including Governance and Public Administration; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Justice, Cohesion and Security for Development; Disaster Preparedness and Management; Planning; Health; Social Protection, Culture and Recreation; Infrastructure; Financial Services, Trade, Co-Operatives and Enterprise Development; Industrialization; Land; Agriculture; and Tourism."

The Governor further pointed out that the CIDP provides the County with a legally binding working framework that will guide all programmes in the county.

"The CIDP binds both state and non-state actors working in the county so as to ensure that we move with a singularity of purpose. It has been developed in a participatory manner and so shall be its implementation. The County is open to innovative ideas of how best to deliver on the commitments herein," he said.

The process of developing the CIDP was led by the outgoing County Executive Committee Member for Lands, Economic and Physical Planning Dr. Joshua Mugambi, with the support of Chief Officer, Martin Gikunda and the technical team.

It was further supported by the USAID-Kenya Transition Initiative led by Mary Kagunyi.