- The visit coincides with the June 1 Madaraka Day national fête.
- The projects are expected to boost prospects of handshake proponents ahead of 2022.
Image: JACK OWUOR
President Uhuru Kenyatta is set for a five-day tour of Nyanza on a blitz packed with projects to reignite handshake hopes among ODM boss Raila Odinga's supporters.
The President is heading to Kisumu to lead the country in the June 1 Madaraka Day celebrations, but his visit is laden with political symbolism at a time when the handshake commitment appears shaky.
When Uhuru landed there last October, he took the city by storm with a wild reception as he joined Raila on an ecstatic lap to greet jubilant supporters.
The President said the handshake had given him peace of mind, declaring that for the previous two years, he ruled without fear.
On Friday, Uhuru returns to Kisumu at a time when major developments have jolted their honeymoon, including the BBI setback at the High Court.
The BBI process was declared unconstitutional, null and void, while Raila's supporters are jittery that he could be short-changed. BBI promised to expand the Executive to accommodate other leaders, making it easier to form alliances and gain support.
While in Kisumu, the President will walk a tightrope and strike a delicate balance to renew hope the BBI reggae will resume, without attacking the Judiciary.
The President will also inspect and launch a couple of government development projects in the county.
The tour comes days after bruising by-election campaigns in Bonchari in which ODM triumphed over Uhuru's Jubilee Party. Massive intimidation and harassment by security forces were cited.
This will be the first time the President will be meeting the ODM boss after the nullification of the Building Bridges Initiative amid expectations he will affirm the process to amend the Constitution.
The BBI initiative was seen as an expanded platform that would enable Uhuru to manage his succession by bringing on board the main political players to take on Deputy President William Ruto.
Uhuru has previously dedicated a big share of his national day speeches to outline how the BBI process would end the destructive winner-take-all syndrome, address inclusivity concerns and cure electoral violence.
Image: MANUEL ODENY
With BBI facing legal hurdles and Raila's supporters feeling jilted, the President is expected to affirm handshake plans with his political soulmate to restore optimism among his backers.
National Assembly Minority leader John Mbadi told the Star the handshake was never meant to deliver Raila to State House, as widely believed.
“Raila has never told anyone Uhuru said he will support him in 2022 for president. That has been merely speculative, but the next president must be one who will consolidate the gains made so far,” Mbadi said.
The Suba South MP said, however, it would be upon the President to decide to either back Raila or another candidate in 2022.
“Friendship is built over time. If with the friendship they feel that one will support the other, so be it. But if the President feels there is someone better to succeed him and not Raila, he will support him,” he said.
Although Raila has not declared his 2022 presidential ambitions, his allies have for long believed that Uhuru should reciprocate the support and back the ex-PM in next year's polls.
To prepare the ground for Uhuru's reception, Raila on Monday joined Kisumu Governor Anyang' Nyong'o for tours of the county's key estates.
Raila used the visit to highlight key development projects initiated in the region following the handshake.
The Star has established a number of infrastructure projects have been lined up for commissioning in Kisumu, Siaya and Homa Bay.
In Kisumu, the head of state is expected to launch the newly rehabilitated Sh3 billion Kisumu port, the new railway station and shipyard built by the Kenya Navy.
Sources say Uhuru will also commission the Ahero interchange road and launch the Sh350 million Uhuru Business Park, funded by the national government. The park has a capacity of 10,000 traders.
The Kenya Navy has built a new cargo and passenger vessel for Sh1.2 billion at the port as part of the Jubilee government's economic revival plan for the region through the blue economy.
The MV Uhuru has made 45 trips since last year, usually carrying fuel to Uganda.
The Sh3.8 billion rehabilitation of the 217km Nakuru-Kisumu railway line by the Kenya Defence Forces is also complete. The President is expected to launch it.
Also expected to be launched by Uhuru is the construction of the Mamboleo-Muhoroni road that has been at the centre of failed promises for many years but which his administration wants built.
On Saturday, he will tour development projects in Raila's Siaya home county before embarking on an extensive tour of Homa Bay.
In Homa Bay, the President will launch the Mbita causeway and commission construction of the 74km Mbita-Sindo-Magunga road. It is a key link road to Migori county.
The President will on Monday officially launch the Jomo Kenyatta International Stadium in Kisumu.
Uhuru is also expected to address the plight of sugar mills.
“We expect the President to expedite leasing of sugar mills through public engagement to make them more vibrant and productive,” Muhoroni MP Onyango Koyoo said.
The MP said he hopes the President would tackle the delay of the multibillion-shilling Koru-Soin Dam to help control the perennial flooding in Muhoroni, Nyando and Nyakach.
Former Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero said leaders from Nyanza should seize the opportunity and present a robust economic agenda that will holistically address residents' myriad challenges.
“No conversation of economic nature can begin without our biggest resource – Lake Victoria," he said.
(Edited by V. Graham)