BUSIA, Kenya, Jan 28 – The Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi has called on the political leadership of the larger Western Kenya region drawn from the counties of Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga and Trans Nzoia to unite to achieve faster development.
While speaking in Busia, Mudavadi made it clear that there will be no progress in terms of development for the region if the leaders don’t unite and work towards achieving a common goal. He said the Western region has lagged behind and wasted so much time as a result of differences among leaders.
“Poverty in Western Kenya region is now at an alarming stage. The Kenya National Bureau Statistics tell a sad story. Recently I realized that poverty in Western Kenya is now visible from the skies as compared to our neighbors. This is a serious issue that requires collective attention and interventions,” said Mudavadi.
He was supported by Busia Governor Paul Otuoma who said that leaders are taking too long to put election differences behind them for development. He decried the poverty index in Busia County 0.04%.
Mudavadi appealed to the communities from the Western Kenya to take stock of where they want to place the region on the map of Kenya in the near future on matters related to economic growth and sustainability. He called for the unity of purpose for the region:
“Politics and resource allocation go hand in hand. This calls for a mechanism on how to use political influence to manage resources and advance development projects for any region. We need to ask ourselves as a people, what is our vote in parliament during the budget making process. If our votes are scattered, how do we expect to reap maximum results when the national resources are being shared? It is time we join hands and rally together as a region.” added Mudavadi.
“We need to streamline our programmes that are development oriented. We have to begin coming up with programmes that will rally this region together bringing on board all the communities to speak in one voice. I am ready to work with the government through the stewardship of our elder brother the Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi to come up with ways that will ensure economic revival of the Western Kenya region.” said Busia Governor Paul Otuoma.
The stakeholder meeting held Friday at the home of Mzee Philip Masinde, former cabinet minister during the late retired President Daniel Arap Moi’s era, resolved to adopt a bottom-up approach in tackling the challenges facing the region economically, with the elders suggesting that opinions, proposals, ideas and findings from the basic level of representation at the grassroot be integrated systematically to the county and national level when key policies and resolutions are being made for the development agenda of the region.
“We need to speak in one voice for us to see to it that Mumias Sugar Company and the ailing Nzoia Sugar Company are back to full operation. Our cotton factories should be revived as well as our agricultural sector. All these will only be achieved if we purpose to work with the administration that is in power, through the support we give to our senior leaders in government led by Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula.” said Mzee Philip Masinde.
Mudavadi says time for politicking is over, there is no turning back and there is no room for engaging a reverse gear in the view of which side won the election and formed government.
“Kenyans made a decision on the ballot. Whether you voted for Azimio or Kenya Kwanza it was a personal, democratic and constitutional right. The supreme court pronounced itself unanimously on the election petition of August 2022. The President of Kenya is Dr William Ruto.” said Mudavadi.
“It is time for Kenyans who are still living in the past memories of the 2022 elections to wake up to the reality, it is time we move on and rally together as a region and as a nation. Let us learn to accept the reality in two ways; We defeated you, let us come together and move forward and You defeated us, we are ready to join hands and work together.” Mudavadi added in his remarks as he addressed over 500 various stakeholders and elders drawn from the Western Kenya Region under the umbrella of the Western Kenya Region Council of elders.
Mudavadi while making the records clear to the leadership and the people of Western Kenya region, affirmed that it is time as a people learn to read the signs of time and stop being brainwashed by sentiments that he has termed as mere political rhetoric and empty in substance. He says the greatest asset for the Western Kenya people is to work towards being liberalized in mind.
“You cannot keep on saying, You don’t recognise President Moi’s regime he didn’t win, President Kibaki didn’t win, President Uhuru didn’t win and eventually you find your way and begin working with those governments.” said Mudavadi as he rallied the people of Western to support the Kenya Kwanza administration promising them that it will deliver services for all Kenyans.
“I want to make it clear that as the leadership under President William Ruto we don’t have an alternative but to reach out to each and everyone. We have to work together because Kenyans voted for us to work for them and give solutions to the challenges facing the country for us to prosper.” said Mudavadi.
“We want 2027 to be a walk over for William Ruto, and we are also looking forward to persuade Kenyans that the policies we are putting together and implementing are aimed at pulling us together as a nation. For those who think there will be any room to defeat Ruto in 2027, I am telling them to adjust quickly because it will not be easy.” added Mudavadi.
“And what we should be aiming at as a region is to rally together, unite and command at minimum 50% of that government come that time. Strength is all about numbers and solidifying numbers for our region begins with us here in Busia.” said Mudavadi.
While citing the potential that lies within the Western Kenya region in terms of economic growth, Mudavadi said they will be adopting a 3 agenda approach as a region basing on key fundamental areas of GROWTH, EQUITY and SUSTAINABILTY. He says to return Kenya’s economy back to its track will require a lot of sacrifices many of which will be painful to be made both at the county, regional and national level.
“The 2022 election transformed Kenya, and we have a huge task ahead to streamline things back on track. We will have to face the reality and make painful decisions for the economy to get back on the road for us to build the roads that we want to help bolster our economy both regionally and nationwide. At some point taxation will be painful but I want to assure Kenyans that it will not be punitive.” Said Mudavadi.
“We will take stock of our collective resources, tap into areas of economic prosperity and look at new frontiers that will open avenues for job creation, agricultural & industrial revolution, businesses, better healthcare, security and quality education for the betterment of the citizens of this region.” added Mudavadi.
The meeting saw Mudavadi crowned a member of the Executive Council of the Western Kenya Region Elders Council and it was attended by Busia Governor Paul Otuoma, Matayos MP Godfrey Odanga his Nambale counterpart Geoffrey Mulanya, former MP Sakwa Bunyasi among other leaders from the region.
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