Migori governor Okoth Obado, shunned by his ODM party, has warmed up to Deputy President William Ruto with plans to host the latter on Monday.
Ruto will be in the county to launch a series of road projects in his debut visit to Migori and the neighbouring Homa Bay county.
"We are set to receive the DP on Monday as he embarks on a development tour of the county," Obado's director of communications
Nicholas Anyuor said in a statement.
Obado is likely to seize the opportunity during the visit to make political alignments with the DP who is keen on
making inroads in Opposition leader Raila Odinga's backyard.
The visit comes barely a month after the Senate by-election. Ruto was said to be fronting the Federal Party of Kenya’s Eddy Oketch who came second to ODM’s Ochillo Ayacko.
Obado asked his supporters to vote for Oketch. The election took place when he was away in custody over the murder of his girlfriend Sharon Otieno and her unborn baby.
He is out on Sh5 million cash bail.
The governor has urged Migori residents to turn put in large numbers to welcome the deputy president.
This will be the second time he will be appearing at a public rally after his release.
Last Wednesday, the county boss held rallies at Nyabisawa and Masara centers to prepare the ground ahead of Ruto’s visit.
Charged political statements are likely to play out at during Monday's visit.
Ruto has on numerous occasions since the March 9 handshake claimed that he was chased away from the ODM.
He publicly warned Raila to forget the idea of following him to Jubilee to "chase him from the party" under the guise of the handshake.
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Before his detention, Obado was at loggerheads with the Orange party after he opposed the party’s move to hand Ayacko a direct ticket.
He vowed to campaign against the Orange party, a move that angered the luminaries when he threw his weight behind Eddy’s quest.
Speaking separately, Kuria East MP Marwa Kitayama defended the DP’s forays in Migori county maintaining that he is marketing the government development agenda.
"The DP’s visit to Migori county is purely for development not 2022 politics. He is on record that politicians should shun the 2022 talk and deliver on the promised they made to the people," he said.
Kitayama said there is nothing strange in the DP visiting Migori as he is serving all Kenyans regardless of their political affiliations.
Suna East MP Junet Mohammed said ODM leaders in the county have not been invited in the tour which he said was all about 2022 general elections.
"Ruto has his host on Monday who is the governor of the area, we have not been invited as ODM party leaders and will keep off from his 2022 campaigns," Junet said.