- Despite the resistance he is getting from a section of Busia county residents, Otuoma insists Busia will realise development before the 2027 polls.
- Some of his priority areas according to a speech he delivered during his swearing-in include Health, Water and Education.
Image: HANDOUT
The year has begun on a slippery note for Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, political commentators have said.
Otuoma however insists that his administration has not lost path and is on track to transform the county as promised during campaigns.
On Monday, he received a hostile reception from residents during ODM Party leader Raila Odinga’s tour.
Raila met ODM delegates in Malaba and Busia and also addressed public rallies in the two border towns.
The rallies were, however, marred by booing and violence as residents tried to block Otuoma from speaking to them.
In Busia, police were forced to fire live bullets in the air to disperse rowdy youth armed with machetes and other crude weapons.
The youth temporarily disrupted Raila’s rally as they heckled Otuoma.
In both Malaba and Busia, the former Funyula MP was forced to cut his speech after he was shouted down.
Those against the governor said the county boss has failed to initiate development projects.
This is more than one year later after taking over the leadership.
Critics of the governor said development activities in all departments have remained stagnant.
This is despite the county assembly passing two supplementary budgets since his assumption of office and the 2023/2024 financial year budget.
President William Ruto on July 27, 2023 announced that National Treasury had disbursed Sh32 billion to counties.
While some analysts see politics in the chaos that marred Raila’s Monday events, some claim the residents acted out of frustration.
“Otuoma should crack the whip on his lazy officers because they are the problem or else he will continue to face resistance and in 2027, he will be kicked out,” one resident told the Star.
There are allegations that the governor has surrounded himself with advisers who are misleading him.
But despite the rising resistance to his leadership, Otuoma maintains he has better development plans for Busia.
He said the remaining three years are sufficient for him to deliver his campaign pledges.
Leaders in his fold dismissed Monday’s booing as a 'passing cloud' that will eventually clear.
Some of Otuoma's development plans include the revitalisation of agriculture, which he says will enable county residents live a food secure life.
He plans to establish an Economic Processing Zone at Nasewa in the outskirts of Busia town as part of his plans to develop agriculture-dependent industries.
In the plan, Busia government has allocated Sh250 million for the project. The national government will support with an equal amount.
“My government has prioritised monetising Busia residents through the ward-based economic revitalisation programme,” Otuoma said on January 6, at Lugulu ward in Butula.
He was in the subcounty to condole with the family of the late John Wycliffe Wanga, his former campaigner.
“The programme will be implemented through production of edible oil plants such as cotton, groundnuts, soya beans, sunflower among others, for value addition,” Otuoma said.
“The crops will generate income for people and ultimately help fight high poverty levels. My goal is to position Busia as the real gateway to East and Central Africa.”
Otuoma said he took over when Busia had poor structures and urged residents to give him time to streamline operations.
“The Busia county administration is also keen on strengthening primary health care systems in a bid to achieve Universal Health Coverage for residents,” he said on January 4, when he hosted Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha.
“We will continue to partner with the national government through the Ministry of Health to address the challenges bedeviling our health sector, including lack of adequate equipment, pharmaceuticals and non-pharmaceuticals as well as personnel.”
Politics, he said, ended with the August 2022 general election and the time between now and 2027 should be dedicated to development.
Otuoma, in his strategy to win back confidence, has been meeting some leaders in the county to convince them to support his administration.
The last of such meetings was held on January 3, when he met his deputy Arthur Odera, Funyula MP Wilberforce Mudenyo and MCAs from Teso North and Teso South constituencies.
“Our discussions revolved around issues of development and service delivery,” Otuoma said after the meeting.
A similar meeting was held on December 29 last year, when he met Butula subcounty leadership.
The meeting was attended by the constituency leadership including MCAs, chief executives and chief officers from the area. Butula MP Joseph Oyula led the delegation.
After Monday chaos, Raila acknowledged the gap between the governor and county residents, promising to convene a meeting with Otuoma.
The ODM chief said part of the meeting’s agenda will be to understand why there is a growing disconnect between Otuoma and residents of Busia.
“After that meeting I will return to Busia and tell you what we have discussed and agreed. But I know your governor will come back and deliver as you want,” he said.
But even with the resistance, Otuoma remains optimistic that he will be re-elected in 2027.
“Nobody should worry about my re-election in 2027 because my eyes are on the ball to deliver the pledges I made to the people of Busia,” he said on December 23 last year.
The county chief spoke at Sikura village in Bwaliro sublocation in Butula subcounty during the burial of Fredrick Makokha.
“Focus is on the ward-based Economic Revitalisation programme. We expect this to transform the economy of Busia county,” Otuoma said.
"My administration will be charged with the task of securing the market and value addition for our agricultural products."
"The establishment of County Aggregation and Industrial Park and Export Processing Zone at Nasewa is a golden opportunity to economically empower our farmers,” he said.
Other priority areas for the governor include health, water and education.
Image: EMOJONG OSERE
