Details Of President Ruto's Two-Day Nyanza Tour From Today

President William Ruto will on Friday, January 13, 2023, begin a two-day working tour of the Nyanza region, covering Kisumu, Homa Bay and Siaya counties.

In a statement by State House spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, the President will launch several projects that directly impact on the lives of the people and are in line with the government’s bottom-up economic agenda that places a premium on economic transformation, especially for those at the bottom of the economic pyramid.

It is worth it to note that the President was in Homa Bay County in October 2022, and he returns tomorrow to fulfil some of the pledges he made.

"Tomorrow, the President will launch the first phase of the 5,000 affordable housing programme for Homa Bay County. The project is expected to not only alleviate the housing deficit in the county but also significantly boost the local economy. 

Hussein Mohamed during his first address as State House Spokesperson on January 12, 2023. /MICH OLINGA.TWITTER

"The project will ultimately cover several towns - Oyugis, Kendu Bay and Mbita," stated Hussein in part.

As President Ruto highlighted, the affordable housing programme, which is a key plank of the government’s economic transformational agenda, is not only about low-cost and decent housing needs but is also meant to create jobs for thousands of youth and stimulate the economy.

In this programme, just as the others he has launched, housing parts such as doors, windows, gates and hinges will be supplied by local Jua Kali associations. This will boost the local economy and put money in the pockets of hustlers in Homa Bay.

Jua Kali enterprises will also expand and create jobs and wealth for the three million people in the sub-sector.

"It is also important to mention the role of the counties in the housing agenda. Homa Bay was the first devolved county government to sign the Affordable Housing Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in April 2018.

The county has set aside 11.6 acres for the affordable housing project. This support is critical to achieving the President’s Housing agenda to house our citizens with dignity. Already, 39 counties have identified land on which affordable houses will be built," added the statement.

The project is in line with the President’s commitment to reduce the housing gap, which currently stands at 2 million units. The target is to increase the supply from 50,000 to 200,000 a year. 

Cumulatively, the program has a robust and active pipeline of 376 projects set to deliver over 599,000 housing units across the country. These projects are at various stages of development.

Finally, the President will also launch and inspect other projects in the region, including commissioning the newly completed Homabay Municipal Market. The project is crucial to the economic transformation of the county and will provide space for trade in agricultural products and thus boost the region’s economy.

"There is more on the President’s two-day visit to the region, including interventions in agriculture and infrastructure and he will also preside over the commissioning of the Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology (JOOUST) Blue Economy Research Hub," Hussein added.

CS Eliud Owalo erects billboard welcoming President Ruto to Siaya County. /TWITTER