By James Murimi - Reporter
Kenya, January 21,2026 - A visit by a high-level World Bank delegation to Nyeri County this week goes beyond routine project inspection, reflecting a broader push by development partners to assess how counties are converting multilateral financing into sustainable, locally driven outcomes.
The delegation, led by World Bank Group Managing Director and Chief Administrative Officer Wencai Zhang and Country Director Qimiao Fan, is reviewing projects funded under four flagship programmes: the Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP), the Kenya Devolution Support Programme (KDSP), the National Agricultural Value Chain Development Project (NAVCDP) and the Financing Locally-Led Climate Action (FLLoCA).
Governor Mutahi Kahiga said the World Bank’s engagement with Nyeri spans critical service-delivery sectors and has matured over time.
“The World Bank has been implementing various social protection programmes across Kenya, spread across the four key flagship funds,” he said, noting that in Nyeri, departments of lands, water, education and agriculture are implementing projects, some now in their second phase.
According to the governor, the focus of the visit is on assessing impact at the community level rather than policy intent.
“These programmes continue to have significant impact on the lives and livelihoods of Nyeri’s residents,” he said, adding that the county administration was keen to demonstrate results on the ground.
Education has emerged as a central pillar of the World Bank–Nyeri partnership. Governor Kahiga pointed to large-scale classroom construction and digital infrastructure as evidence of how external financing can ease pressure on county budgets while improving learning outcomes.
“A team from the Ministry of Education is set to take the delegates on a tour of Nyamachaki Primary and Junior School and Kamwenja TTC to inspect classrooms and an ICT lab constructed with support from the World Bank,” he said.
He said the upgrades have had a measurable effect on learning. “These infrastructure upgrades have significantly improved both grade transition and curriculum delivery,” Governor Kahiga noted.
County data shows that under the leadership of the Department of Education, 272 classrooms have been constructed across Nyeri, a figure the governor cited as proof of the scale of intervention achievable through coordinated donor and county action.
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Beyond schools, the assessment is expected to interrogate how programmes such as NAVCDP and FLLoCA are strengthening agricultural value chains and climate resilience in a county where farming remains the mainstay of the economy. With climate variability increasingly disrupting production, locally led climate action is becoming a priority area for both counties and development partners.
Governor Kahiga framed the World Bank visit as part of a long-term relationship rather than a one-off engagement.
“Together with the entire administration, we extend our sincere thanks to the World Bank for our continuous cordial working relationship,” he said.
Looking ahead, the governor expressed optimism that the partnership would continue to deliver broad-based benefits.
“As we progress together along this path, may our residents, development sectors and Nyeri County in general continue to reap the benefits of this far-reaching partnership,” he said.
The outcomes of the delegation’s tour are expected to shape future funding and policy directions, with lessons from Nyeri likely to inform how devolved units across Kenya structure, implement and account for donor-funded development programmes.
