Deputy President William Ruto will today make a "development" tour of Teso a week after ODM leader Raila Odinga visited the region.
The DP is expected to sell his 2022 presidential bid as he did in July last year when he called on the Teso community to support him as he is better placed to transform their lives.
He was in the area to fundraise for the reconstruction of three dormitories at Kolanya Boys High School.
Raila was in Teso last Saturday to attend the burial of former Amagoro MP Oduya Oprong at Angurai village. He took time to accuse Ruto of politicising the fight against corruption.
The ODM leader was accompanied by MPs Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Mishi Mboko (Likoni), Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay Woman Rep) and Senators James Orengo (Siaya) and Ochillo Ayacko (Migori).
Ruto believes that Raila is the man to beat in 2022. He enjoys describing the man who in March 2018 made peace with President Uhuru Kenyatta as "the lord of poverty".
Ruto has made several tours of Teso since the Jubilee administration was sworn into office in 2017.
It is instructive that the two constituencies of Teso North and South boycotted the October 26 repeat election. Tesos overwhelmingly voted for Raila in the August 8, 2017, presidential elections.
In January, the DP met Busia and Bungoma leaders and told them that he was prepared to face any leader in the race to succeed President Kenyatta.
Teso South MP Geoffrey Omuse said on Wednesday that Ruto will preside over a series of activities in his constituency, among them the opening of the newly built Aremit chief’s office.
He will also break the ground for the construction of the proposed Machakusi Girls Secondary School in Machakusi, Amukura East Ward.
He will inspect the ongoing construction of the Busia-Malaba Road whose tarmacking was launched by President Kenyatta just before the 2017 General Election.
“Ruto is the deputy president and besides launching and inspecting the projects he will also interact with the wananchi,” Omuse told the Star by phone.
The DP is often criticised, especially by ODM leaders for his countrywide "development" tours. They say he uses the tours to popularise himself ahead of 2022 using taxpayers’ money.
