President William Ruto has taken a multi-billion-shilling development package to Kisumu as he steps up his campaign to win political support in a region that has traditionally been an opposition stronghold.
During his visit to Kisumu on Monday, Ruto announced or highlighted road, water, housing, market and hostel projects running into tens of billions of shillings, while openly linking his development record to the 2027 presidential contest.
The President said the 2027 election should be a contest over what leaders can deliver rather than one based on tribal identity, personalities and political rhetoric.
“This is a message to my opponents. Kenyans will shock you, my friends. In this nation, we have raised the bar on the content of leadership in Kenya. It is not about personality; it is about the people of Kenya,” Ruto said in Muhoroni.
“As broad-based, we are ready. We have our ideas, we have our plans, we have our agenda, programmes and vision. We want to invite our counterparts to come with your agenda. Come with your ideas and let us compete.”
His message came against the backdrop of a four-day tour of Nyanza, a region where Ruto has been seeking to build a political base ahead of the 2027 election and where ODM leaders have been negotiating their place in his broad-based administration.
In Kisumu, the President said Sh23 billion had been allocated for road projects covering about 270 kilometres across the county. He launched the upgrading of the 12-kilometre Rabuor-Chiga road and inspected other road works, including the Chemelil-Muhoroni-Kipsitet route.
The Government said the road programme is intended to improve connections between Kisumu and neighbouring counties and open up markets for farmers and traders.
Ruto also commissioned the Sh8.4 billion Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project, which he said would expand Kisumu's sewerage capacity and increase access to water.
“We are starting a major project and sewer system in Nyamasaria. It will cost Sh8.4 billion to ensure that the issues of sewerage are addressed,” he said.
He said the project would be implemented in three phases, with the first phase launched and the second already under way. (The Star)
Housing was another major part of Ruto's Kisumu pitch.
The President said Sh44 billion had been deployed to construct 12,000 affordable housing units, 20 markets and 12,000 hostel beds in the county.
He defended the programme against opposition from critics, saying about 1.1 million Kenyans had benefited from jobs created by the housing programme nationally.
“I hear some people saying they will stop the housing programme. I want to tell them, please don't have a conversation about housing because you don't understand anything about it,” Ruto said.
The housing programme also provided a direct political point of confrontation with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, one of the leaders positioning himself for the 2027 presidential contest under the Linda Mwananchi movement.
Sifuna has opposed the housing levy and said that, if elected, his administration would allocate affordable housing units to police officers. Ruto responded in Kisumu by saying the Government had already set aside 20,000 houses for police officers and challenged his critics to explain what they would do with the existing programme.
The exchange gave the Kisumu tour an unmistakable 2027 political edge, with Ruto presenting projects already under construction or being launched as evidence of what he said his administration could offer voters.
He repeatedly challenged his opponents to present alternative policies.
“Mimi nimewauliza, what is your alternative idea, plan, agenda and vision? Hawana. Kenyans have brains. They know who has ideas, agenda and who doesn’t,” Ruto said.
He cited roads, housing, markets and education as examples of programmes his administration was implementing.
Ruto also sought to make the political case that Nyanza should judge his administration by development rather than its past political relationship with the opposition.
“I promised you that Kisumu will not be left behind in development,” he said.
But the President's development pitch comes with political expectations from Nyanza leaders.
ODM leaders have demanded a greater share of government positions and made clear that political support for Ruto's second-term bid will come with expectations for development and political consideration.
The Kisumu tour therefore combines two messages from Ruto: that his government is delivering projects in a region that has historically voted against him, and that voters should use those projects to assess him when they return to the ballot box in 2027.
For the President, the argument is increasingly straightforward: development should replace the old political fault lines, while his opponents must offer a competing programme rather than simply campaign against him.
“Wakati nyinyi mnachagua kiongozi, mna kipima kwa kazi ama kwa sura? Kwa kazi ama kwa kabila? Kwa kazi ama kwa fitina? Kwa kazi ama kwa kelele?” Ruto asked residents.
The Nyanza tour continues as the President moves to Siaya, Migori and Homa Bay, where he is expected to launch, inspect and commission additional projects in roads, water, health, education, energy, housing and security.
