Expectant residents turn up to welc*me Ruto in Nyanza

Thousands of people turned up by as early as 6 am at various venues in Kisumu and Siaya Counties waiting to give President William Ruto an arousing welcome.

Although the region is perceived as a stronghold of opposition leader Raila Odinga, the mobilization by the interior Principal Secretary (PS) Raymond Omollo, ICT Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eliud Owalo and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) allies in the region bore fruits.

The leaders pitched tents in the region yesterday mobilizing the Luo community to turn up and see the good projects that the national government was bringing to their doorstep.

They crisscrossed the villages dishing out freebies to the residents including UDA caps, T-shirts and cash assuring the community that they meant well for them and that more viable projects were lined up that would accelerate economic growth and create more wealth and employment opportunities for them.

Yesterday, the turnout, was perhaps an indication that the message sunk into the residents' minds very well.

Omollo spent most of his time in Kisumu, the venue of the first President's visit, and the subsequent venues wooing the residents to embrace the president because it meant well to them.

The President is expected to fly in by 10 am this morning and launch the Ksh3 billion Kabonyo Fish Project in Nyando Constituency.

Yesterday, the community led by Kabonyo Kanyagwal chairman Charles Aguko, united in chorus saying that they were happy with the project that will be the first milestone and game changer in the interior area, almost 60 years after independence.

"This is the only project, we have seen being launched here after many years despite having infinite land mass," Aguko claimed.

Community opinion leader and Elders patron Alphonse Ouya also claimed that 60 years after independence the only support they had received from the county government was an ambulance to ferry the sick to the hospital nothing to point.

"But now they were happy to see a multi-billion project, that will transform the lives and livelihoods of the community," Outa said.

He said they had been promised a tarmac road leading to the project site, which would traverse the villages, which was a good thing.

They were also tipped of good roads infrastructure, water and other social amenities making the project a real game changer.

Ouya and Aguko asked the community to support President Ruto's regime because of its evident development initiatives that will economically revolutionise the area upon completion.

Omollo said the project will provide jobs to thousands of casuals and local contractors in the meantime and eventually more jobs to experts and businesses to the community when the project starts.

He asked the residents to cooperate and support the government's good intent to transform the people's lives and livelihoods envisioned in its bottom-up economic transformation agenda (Beta), policies, which President Ruto is so passionate about.

The President is also scheduled to tour and commission the Lake Basin Development Mall (LBDA) in Kisumu Central Constituency.

The Ksh4.5 billion mall has in the past been marred in controversy of the alleged inflated costs, which the management has been able to defend saying that the infrastructure development at the site equalled the value for money spent.

The mall is now one of the biggest state parastatal entities housing several state offices, supermarkets, and other businesses including Best Western Hotel.

The president will then fly to Siaya County, where Governor James Orengo yesterday toured the sites to urge residents to welcome him as he launches the Ugenya Level IV Hospital, in Ugenya Constituency

After which, he will fly to Matumbu Digital Lab, Gem Constituency launch it and then move to grace Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo's Thanksgiving Service, Gem Constituency.

Odhiambo though elected in ODM is one of the MPs from Nyanza, working closely with the Kenya Kwanza administration.

Odhiambo yesterday pitched tent in Gem asking his people to give the President an arousing welcome to Nyanza, same as Owalo and Omollo.

This will be day one of the president's visit. The second day will see him move to Homabay and then Migori in what appeared to be a packed visit with a tight itinerary.