• “Suba people been promised tarmacked road for years. However, construction companies come and go without delivering,” Omolo said.
• “Many fishermen have had their fish go bad during transportation due to the poor status of roads. Traders have also encountered similar economic losses,” Onditi said.
Image: ROBERT OMOLLO
Homa Bay residents have welcomed President William Ruto's development projects, saying they will transform lives of the people.
They said Homa Bay as a county has lagged in development despite being endowed with many resources.
It is the county with the largest water cover among counties bordering Lake Victoria. Other counties adjacent to the lake are Kisumu, Siaya, Busia and Migori.
Homa Bay is listed as the largest fish producer because it has 60 per cent of the lake water cover. It also used to produced best quality cotton in large scale across the Nyanza region.
On Monday, some residents said the county would grow economically should Ruto implement to the fullest the projects he pledged when he visited the county.
The residents Fred Omollo, William Onditi and George Aoko said the projects would improve the standards of living if implemented.
Ruto said his administration will construct and complete 200km of roads.
He spoke on Sunday at the Africa Inland Church in Homa Bay town.
The President mentioned the Mbita-Sindo-Kiabuya-Sori road that has stalled for a long time.
The road will connect fishing villages along the shores of the lake in Homa Bay and Migori counties, if complete.
Image: ROBERT OMOLLO
“The government will factor in the budget some money that will ensure the 74km road is complete,” Ruto said.
Omollo said the road will open up the long time marginalised area along the shore of the lake and more so Suba region.
Suba South constituency has had no tarmac road since independence.
With the promise, Suba people have hopes that they will have at least a modern road in the region.
“Suba people have been promised tarmacked road for years. However, construction companies come and go without delivering,” Omollo said.
Onditi who is the Suba Beach Management unit chairman said poor road networks along the lake has led to many economic drawbacks.
He said fish, which is a perishable commodity requires quick transportation to the market, since most fishermen do not have cold storage facilities.
“Many fishermen have had their fish go bad during transportation due to the poor status of roads. Traders have also encountered similar economic losses,” Onditi said.
Another key road whose construction stalled is Kanyadhiang-Pala-Kadel ring road that connects Homa Bay-Katito Road to agricultural fields in Rachuonyo North.
The road was launched by Ruto in November 2018 when he was the deputy president.
The road will ensure agricultural produce like maize, rice, sorghum and horticultural crops from the Kimira Oluch Smallholder Farmer Improvement Project reach the market.
The irrigation project is in Karachuonyo and Rangwe constituencies. Fishermen who practice cage fishing at Obaria beach will also benefit.
Aoko who is also the Kimira Irrigation water users association chairman said farmers from the scheme suffer losses when their crops fail to be delivered to the market on time.
“Kosfip was designed to address food security in Nyanza. Poor roads make the project not to serve its purpose effectively,” Aoko said.
Some farmers opted to suspend crop production because of the inability to access the market.
The President also promised that his government will build low cost housing for residents of Homa Bay town.
Homa Bay is characterised by a few units, which are too expensive for residents.
Most people live in informal settlements of Shauri Yako, Makongeni, Sofia and Misita, where houses are made of iron sheets.
A project to construct 2,000 affordable housing units in the county was started in 2018.
The county government signed an MOU with the State department of Housing and Urban Development in the Ministry of Transport.
Ruto said he will visit the county next month to launch the first phase of construction.
“About 400 units will be constructed in the first phase. The entire project will have 5,000 units,” Ruto said.
Resident Walter Opiyo said the project will change the face of Homa Bay where poverty has driven families to live in dilapidated houses.
(Edited by Bilha Makokha)