President William Ruto and his newfound ally and ODM party chief Raila Odinga.PHOTO:POOL
President William Ruto on Tuesday evening hosted Members of Parliament (MPs) from Raila Odinga’s Nyanza region at State House Nairobi.
The well-attended meeting, which started at 7:00 PM and continued late into the night, was held under a veil of secrecy, with no photographs released by State House, in line with the tradition of confidential meetings of this nature.
According to News sources, the MPs, some of whom were participating in ongoing events in Mombasa, promptly boarded the next available flights to Nairobi, highlighting the importance of the discussions.
The lawmakers initially gathered at the office of National Assembly Leader Junet Mohammed in Parliament before proceeding in a long convoy to State House.
The key focus of the meeting was a follow-up on several development projects that President Ruto had previously promised to the region. A second-term MP who attended the meeting stated, “We were just following up on the projects we requested during his last visit to Kisumu.”
Among the projects discussed were the construction of key roads such as the Muhoroni–Mamboleo and Awasi-Katito roads.
MPs also raised the issue of the multi-billion Koru-Soin dam, which was brought up during a meeting at Kisumu State Lodge in August.
Other projects that were part of the discussions included the completion of the Kisian-Usenge-Osieko road, tarmacking of the Odongo-Uhanya road, and the Bondo-Liahanda road.
This meeting marked the first time President Ruto has hosted MPs from Nyanza since the formation of his broad-based government, which includes members from the opposition.
Notably, several key opposition figures who were appointed to the reconstituted Cabinet were present at the meeting, including former legislators John Mbadi, who now heads the Ministry of Finance, and Opiyo Wandayi, appointed to the influential Ministry of Energy and Petroleum.
Other Cabinet appointees from the region include Wycliffe Oparanya (Minister for Cooperatives), Hassan Joho (Minister for Mining), and Beatrice Askul (Minister for East African Community).
The President’s engagement with MPs from the Nyanza region demonstrates his ongoing commitment to fostering unity and advancing development in all corners of the country.
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