CS Owalo's grandfather Nabi Johana mausoleum to cost Sh53m

The mausoleum of Nabi Johana Owalo, grandfather to ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo, is to be constructed at Sh 53 million.

The mausoleum will be built where Johana was buried at Oboch in Rarieda subcounty, Siaya County.

Oboch, the headquarters of the Nomiya Church, has officially been gazetted as a national heritage. 

The Ministry of Culture and Heritage through the National Museums of Kenya has already advertised the tender for the project.

Owalo said the project will be a milestone in the Nyanza region for locals, especially church members.

The construction works will soon begin.

The mausoleum, he said, will attract more tourists and boost revenue generation as well as the local economy.

Besides the mausoleum, the project also entails fencing and erecting a gate.

“The government will soon award the tender to a contractor to start the construction works,” Owalo said.

He praised the government for the project which will boost culture and heritage services in the region.

In addition, Owalo said the government will further help in building the Nomiya Church headquarters at Oboch in the second phase of the project.

The CS, whose late father Archbishop Gideon Charles Owalo was the head of the Church in East Africa for the past four decades, is a staunch and dedicated church member.

The church is known for its doctrine of male circumcision even though it was founded amongst the Luo, a community that was not traditionally circumcising its males.

Though the prophet hailed from Gangu village, he was buried at the church compound at Oboch, and his burial site has been attracting local tourists. 

He was born and bred in the church and has been attending church services at Nomiya church across the country.

The church was the first African Independent Church in Kenya and is renowned for initiating male circumcision about 100 years ago.

The church has a population of about 274,000 members in East Africa and its history has been a major ingredient in the high school syllabus of both religious education and history subjects.

Owalo was speaking during the commissioning of the Sh 35 million infrastructure improvement at Kametho Primary School on Wednesday.

He praised the Mpesa Foundation for the good gesture which will completely transform the infrastructure of the school.

He appealed to the community to ensure there are adequate students once the project is completed. 

Owalo said the school should enhance their performance to become one of the top schools in Siaya County.

"We want the learners in this school to improve on their academics as the best way to pay back for the good gesture from the Mpesa Foundation," he said.

The school has produced many people who are currently professionals in the country, and helping in nation-building.

Owalo said the four-month project will see the construction of an ICT laboratory, new classrooms, an ablution block and an ECDE.

He added that the government was committed to fulfilling development projects and cited the ongoing last-mile electricity connectivity.

Owalo said the Kenya Kwanza government was also focused on implementing the Lake Victoria ring road to open up the economy of the region.

The design of the road is ready and the National Treasury is currently negotiating with the World Bank to fund the project, he said.

The Bottom Up Economic Transformation Agenda of the ruling Kenya Kwanza government is keen on improving the lives of the youth through ICT, Owalo emphasized. 

He urged locals to take advantage of various development initiatives by the government.

He particularly cited that numerous roads, electricity, market and blue economy projects are ongoing and it is only right that the locals applaud the government where it has scored.

Owalo urged women and youth to organize themselves in Saccos to benefit from various government initiatives.

He urged residents in the region to support President William Ruto to fully implement his development agenda.

“We will come back to you in 2027 to evaluate President Ruto based on his development project for a second term in office,” Owalo said.