KISUMU: Kisumu county government has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) with Gersthofen city of Germany to create linkages and partnerships on development. Deputy Governor Mathew Owili, who signed the document with the Mayor of Gersthofen, His Worship Michael Wörle, said the pact will see the twinning of Kisumu City and the City of Gersthofen, opening up avenues of collaboration in different sectors of the economy.

According to Kenya News Agency, the collaboration framework will see initiatives rolled out in tourism, education, culture, energy, innovation, and municipal cooperation. Kisumu is set to benefit through benchmarking with the Bavarian city located in the county of Augsburg, Germany. Dr. Owili mentioned that through the partnership, Kisumu County has already secured 200,000 Euros in funding for the refurbishment, salarisation, and operationalisation of Chulaimbo and Kuoyo water projects in Kisumu West Sub-County.

Dr. Owili remarked that this significant funding resulted from the Mayor’s vi
sit to Kisumu in 2021, where he met Governor Prof Anyang Nyong’o, laying the foundation for collaborative engagement between the two cities. Speaking during the signing ceremony at City Hall in Kisumu, Dr. Owili expressed gratitude to the City of Gersthofen leadership, stating that the engagement was set to give impetus to various county-led development initiatives.

His Worship Michael Wörle noted that the pact with Kisumu follows a similar successful partnership with Baringo County, where various projects on energy have been rolled out. ‘We are the first German City with an energy partnership with Kenya in Baringo County specifically and today we are bringing Kisumu on board,’ he said.

The ceremony was also attended by Kisumu City Manager Abala Wanga, County Executive Committee Members Judith Oluoch, Farida Salim, and John Awiti, among other officials.