Governor Nyong'o Hails Ruto Days After Claiming His Actions Are Like Nyayo Era

Days after slamming President William Ruto for 'sabotaging devolution', Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o has thanked him over adding his county to negotiations to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR).

During his recent four-day visit to China, President Ruto signed a deal for a new funding model for Phase 2 B of the Kenya SGR line that will include the long-awaited extension to Kisumu, something the county boss viewed as welcome news.

In a statement on Saturday, April 26, Nyong’o said, "On behalf of the people of Kisumu, I would like to sincerely thank HE President William Samoei Ruto for successfully negotiating with the Chinese Government the financing of the SGR from Nakuru, through Kisumu and connecting Kenya to Uganda through Malaba."

"This branch of Kenya Railways has been on the drawing board for a long time. Making it a reality at last is something we in the Lake Region need to applaud. Kudos, Mr. President," he stated.

According to Nyong'o, once completed, the new SGR line will significantly improve the economy of Western Kenya, besides making the refurbished Kisumu Port more robust, and will improve tourism, passenger transport, trade and regional integration in East Africa.

The governor’s compliments for the president came barely days after Nyong’o went off on Ruto. On April 22, Nyong’o blasted the Head of State in a fiery letter, accusing him of "sabotaging devolution."

He called out the Head of State over the fight between counties and the national government about who should control the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF) — something Ruto wants to snatch back under national control.

“The truth is that the Ruto regime has decided to go back to pre-devolution times of the Nyayo era,” the governor asserted. “The 2010 Constitution is a hindrance to its primitive accumulation schemes.”

On April 24, Ruto also inked a deal with China to upgrade the Nairobi-Nakuru-Mau Summit-Malaba highway into a dual carriageway.

According to State House Spokesperson Hussein Mohamed, the agreement came after deep talks between Ruto and Chinese President Xi Jinping during Ruto’s four-day trip to China.

Hussein also said Kenya locked in China's backing to extend the SGR from Nairobi to Naivasha, and then from Naivasha to Malaba.

"This cooperation cements Kenya's role as a key Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) and regional logistics partner, while integrating East Africa's transportation network and enhancing intra-regional trade," Hussein Mohamed said.