Ruto to tour Busia on Sunday six days after Raila's visit

President William Ruto will on Sunday tour Busia in what local political analysts say may be a visit aimed at softening opposition chief Raila Odinga’s influence in the county.

Although the purpose of the visit is to allow the commander-in-chief to attend an interdenominational prayer meeting at Machakus ACK church in Teso Central subcounty, the Head of State is also expected to address a series of political rallies besides initiating key development projects in the larger Teso sub-region.

Ruto, according to a provisional itinerary seen by the Star will land at Malaba Township Primary School before proceeding to Machakus ACK church for an interdenominational church service.

He will after that travel to Amoni to commission the multimillion Malaba-Malakisi water and sewerage project before addressing a rally at Malaba town while on his way to Ang’urai where is also scheduled to address another rally.

From Ang’urai, he will cruise to Kolanya Girls National School where the President is programmed to announce a funding programme to aid the institution’s infrastructural development agenda.

Last year, Education CS Ezekiel Machogu promised funding of Sh20 million to the school to facilitate the construction of a story building that will house some classes and staff offices.

Ruto’s tour comes less than a week after ODM chief Raila Odinga visited Busia.

The former Prime Minister toured the border county on January 15 but was met with a hostile reception when county residents turned his two rallies in Malaba and Busia into a booing platform as youth tried to block Governor Paul Otuoma from addressing them.

Going by the 2022 presidential results (county level), Busia remains an ODM zone but Ruto, locals said on Saturday is determined to tilt the political pendulum and win some of Raila’s supporters as the country slowly returns to politicking, four years before the 2027 General Elections.

Raila, during the August 2022 general polls beat Ruto in Busia when the former Roads Minister secured 226,042 votes (81.68 per cent) against Ruto’s 48,801 (17.63 per cent) out of a registered voter population of 416,818, according to figures from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission.

The ODM chief also boasts of a strong parliamentary representation in the county with six MPs – Oku Kaunya (Teso North) Geoffrey Odanga (Matayos), Joseph Oyula (Butula), Raphael Wanjala (Budalang’i), Funyula’s Wilberforce Mudenyo and woman representative Catherine Omamyo having been elected on the Orange party ticket.

Ruto has one MP elected on his UDA party ticket – Teso South’s Mary Emaase.

Nambale’s Geoffrey Mulanya sailed through to Parliament for his first term as MP after vying as an independent candidate.

During his Sunday tour, the President may capitalise on the hostile reception Raila received on Monday, to package himself as the ODM chief’s alternative replacement in the county ahead of the 2027 General Elections.

Some analysts said the Head of State may also use his advantage as President to unveil strategic development projects during the visit to win the hearts of residents as the country’s biggest political parties including ODM and UDA also kick off the race to register members.

Among leaders expected to receive the commander-in-chief in the tour that will primarily focus on the Teso sub-region include elected leaders, as well as Busia residents, currently working in the President Ruto administration.

They include Governor Otuoma, Principal Administrative Secretary in the Executive Office of the President Arthur Osiya who hails from Ang’urai in Teso North, Sports Cabinet Secretary Ababu Namwamba (Budalang’i), Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises Principal Secretary Susan Mangeni (Funyula), Nacada Chief Executive Officer Anthony Omerikwa (Teso North), General Manager in charge of Infrastructure at the Kenya Ports Authority Vincent Sidai (Teso Central) among others.

MPs Kaunya and Emaase are also expected to play a front role in welcoming the Head of State.

During his last tour of the county on August 26, 2023, when he commissioned the Mulukhoba Fish Landing site in Budalang’i, Ruto said he was President of all Kenyans and would initiate development schemes in all regions in the country irrespective of whether residents in those regions voted for him or not.

TOUR PREPARATION

On Thursday, top security teams from the county made a reconnaissance tour of Malaba Township and Amoni Primary schools ahead of the President’s tour.

The inspection tour was led by Busia County Police Commander Joel Lekuta.

Kaunya, then, told the media the Teso North constituency leadership was ready to receive the Head of State, noting that the Iteso community had high development expectations ahead of the visit.

“We expect President Ruto to address pile-up challenges experienced along the northern corridor between Bungoma and Malaba with a view of dualling the Malaba-Bungoma highway to remove non-tariff barriers along the busy road,” the MP said.

“We also expect the president to open some projects and tour Kolanya Girls National School, which emerged as the second top school in the county in the 2022 Kenya Certificate of Secondary School examinations.

The visit is the third since the President took over power from his predecessor Uhuru Kenyatta.

During his first tour of the county as President in May last year, Ruto attended an interdenominational prayer meeting at Busia stadium.

On Saturday, Otuoma said residents should put aside politics and welcome the President to Busia.

“We may be allied to different political parties or belong to different ethnic communities and therefore espouse conflicting positions. However, as a people of this cosmopolitan community of Busia, we need to streamline our act and move in unison in order to prosper,” he said.