President Ruto unveils Ksh.700B projects on second day of Nyanza tour

Speaking on the second day of his Nyanza tour in Kisumu County, the president defended his affordable housing programme as a transformative agenda and dared the opposition to a political contest, saying the combined support of ODM and UDA would prove decisive at the ballot.

"Those we are competing against, Kenyans will shock you, my friends. This nation, we have raised the bar in the context of leadership in Kenya. It is not about personalities; it is about the people of Kenya. As broad-based, we are ready. We have a plan," Ruto said.

ODM leaders who accompanied the president on the tour pledged their support for his re-election bid, but insisted the party's backing must be matched by a proportional share of positions in government.

ODM Deputy Party Leader Simba Arati said the party expects an equal share of government roles in exchange for its support in 2027, warning against what he termed "friendly fire" within the coalition in the Nyanza region. ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga accused unnamed individuals of pretending to compete with the party while lacking a clear political outfit or agenda of their own, saying ODM remained fully committed to the coalition.

National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohammed also addressed the gathering, questioning the opposition's stance on Ruto's eligibility for a second term.

During the tour, Ruto hit back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over remarks criticising the affordable housing programme, particularly claims that the government intended to allocate the houses to police officers.

"They also say we will divide these houses and allocate them to the police. Let me tell you, we have planned 20,000 houses for police officers already," Ruto said.

As part of what was presented as a Ksh.700 billion package of development projects for the region, the president commissioned the Lake Victoria Water and Sanitation Project in Kisumu Central constituency and the construction of the Rabuor-Chiga road in Nyando constituency.

He also inspected the Mamboleo-Chemelil-Muhoroni-Kipsitet road in Muhoroni constituency and commissioned the airport control tower in Kisumu West constituency.