The gender analysis of the Kisumu County Budget proposals for the financial year 2014/15 focuses on the Department for Education, Youth, Culture and Social Services of the Kisumu County Government. The choice of this Department is not accidental, as it hosts one of the services that are highlighted in the Kisumu County Fiscal Strategy Paper as a key pillar of development, namely sports and talent. The goal of the Department of Education, Youth, Culture and Social Services of the Kisumu County government as stipulated in the Budget Policy Statement for Kisumu County is ‘to provide and promote social equity to the residents of Kisumu County through Education, Youth and Women empowerment , sports, culture and child protection’.
The Kisumu County Fiscal Strategy Paper outlines the key challenges and broad priority areas for the County as urbanization, devolution, infrastructure development, water supply and sanitation, environmental challenges such as water hyacinth and solid waste management, insecurity and disaster management.
The Paper outlines the following sectors as the key pillars for economic development in the County:-
- Food security and Agriculture
- Industrialization and Enterprise development
- Tourism
- Technology
Some of the county specific challenges that the Kisumu Budget would like to mitigate within this Department include the limited employment opportunities; lack of technical and entrepreneurial skills for the youth, limited quality ECD centers and teachers; inadequate provision of social services and undeveloped cultural sites and sporting facilities. A key achievement highlighted by the Department is the renovation of the Moi Stadium and the proposed recruitment of ECD teachers and construction of ECD centers and Youth polytechnics.