President William Ruto, on Wednesday, delivered a lighthearted response to a plea by Senate Speaker Amason Kingi for a cash reward after the Senate football team defeated the Governors’ side.
The two teams had faced off in a match as part of the activities lined up ahead of the Devolution Conference in Homa Bay County.
Speaking during the official opening of the conference, Ruto first praised the Senators for their sporting victory.
"I want to confirm that the Senate team did a wonderful job. congratulations! You merit a reward for what you have done…there is only a small technical problem..Rewards at the level of Harambee stars are only given if the opposite team is not Kenyan," he said.
"Unfortunately for the Senate, the other team was Kenyan..I apologise…that I may not be able to assist in this particular circumstance, but the next time you play against a foreign team, there will be due consideration."
His remarks came after Kingi humorously invoked the President’s recent “win bonus” for the national football team, Harambee Stars.
“President Ruto, in keeping with your generosity witnessed over the past few weeks, where you have rewarded Harambee Stars for every win, the Senate team, having beaten the Governors, is wishing to be considered for that appreciation token,” Kingi said.
The Speaker upped the stakes with a tongue-in-cheek proposal: “The team consists of 16 members. If agreeable, I might pass by State Lodge and collect Sh16 million for the team.”
The exchange sent the conference into laughter.
Ruto arrived at the county Tuesday and has been engaged in a series of activities. During the event, the Council of Governors (COG) is expected to make a case for increased allocations to devolved units.
The event has been themed “For the People, For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice.”
The main venue for the event is Homa Bay High School, with supplementary events at Raila Odinga Stadium and Tom Mboya University. The side events will include thematic discussions, exhibitions and collaborative forums.
This will be the second time the lake region has hosted the national event. A similar conference was held in Kisumu in April 2025. Raila is scheduled to close the event on August 14.
