President William Ruto is taking advantage of the recent naming of opposition figures to his Cabinet to make inroads in Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition leader Raila Odinga’s bastions.
The President has lined up political engagements in Migori, Homa Bay, Siaya and Kisumu counties from Wednesday next week.
He is expected to dangle development projects and attend homecoming events for National Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi and his Energy and Petroleum colleague Opiyo Wandayi.
Dr Ruto, who performed dismally in Nyanza in the 2022 election, also seeks to endear himself to the region by backing Mr Odinga for African Union Commission chairmanship bid.
Dr Ruto will be in Migori on Wednesday before moving to Homa Bay on Thursday, Siaya on Friday and Kisumu on Saturday.
He has incorporated former top Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) officials – Mr Mbadi, Mr Wandayi, Mr Ali Hassan Joho and Mr Wycliffe Oparanya – into his cabinet, with analysts seeing this as a move to pacify Mr Odinga’s strongholds.
Former ODM National Elections Coordinating Committee member Beatrice Askul was also made a Cabinet Secretary.
Uriri MP Mark Nyamita said the President would launch the Kuja Irrigation project in Migori. He will also launch a housing project in Kuria.
Mr Nyamita added that elected leaders from the counties the President will visit are to hold a meeting to discuss some of the projects to be prioritised by the government.
“It is time leaders in our region put their differences aside and collectively push for government funding for various projects,” the MP said.
Mr Mbadi said in Homa Bay that apart from his homecoming ceremony, the President would launch Oyugis water project and announce more funding for the last mile connectivity.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga said the region expects President Ruto to jumpstart projects that have stalled due to funding challenges.
She said Mbita-Sindo-Magunga-Sori and Gor-Ring roads are some of the projects that need urgent attention.
President Ruto is expected to be at the homecoming of Mr Wandayi, who resigned as National Assembly Minority Leader and Ugunja MP to join the Executive. The event will be in Sidindi.
In Kisumu, Seme MP James Nyikal listed the Miwami-Mamboleo road, the Sh19 billion Soin-Sondu dam and a ring road around Lake Victoria as some of the projects to be given priority.
Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi told the Daily Nation that once Mr Odinga is unveiled as a candidate by President Ruto, “we shall hold the campaigns as a joint unit”.
On Tuesday, Mr Odinga declared that he was moving from Kenyan to continental politics.
The decision by Dr Ruto to win the support of the region that voted for Mr Odinga to a man comes on the backdrop of a perceived falling out between the President and his deputy Rigathi Gachagua.
With President Ruto facing an uncertain future with Mt Kenya region, analysts say the opposition leader could easily pay back by backing Dr Ruto’s re-election in 2027.
