County News Analysis By Odera Omolo In Kisumu City.

The newly created County of Kisumu is expected to be the nerve center of Western Kenya and at the same time the getaway to East and Central African countries of the East African Community member states.

The County, which is created under the new constitutional dispensation with a City equipped with an ultra modern newly expanded Airport is expected to be not only nerve center for the entire Western Kenya, but a major commercial link center between Kenya and other landlocked African states in the Great Lakes region.

The new counter covered six parliamentary electoral constituencies of Nyakach, Nyando, Muhoroni, Kisumu Town East, Kisumu Town West and Kisumu Rural. Two these constituencies namely Kisumu Town East and Kisumu Town West are cosmopolitan housing in nature multiracial and multi-ethnic societies.

It border Karachuonyo to the southwest, Kasipul-Kabondo to the south, Belgut to the surtheast, Ainamoi to the east, Tinderet to the northeast, Aldai to the north, Vihiga to the north, Emuhaya to the northwest,Gem in the northwest and Rarieda to the west.

The county most volatile area is its border between Nyakach and Belgut due to the re-emergence of dangerous cattle rustling, which has so far resulted in more than ten deaths within Upper and lowers Nyakach regions. Its other borders are quiet and life continued in the normal way.

The County is rich in fishing and fish trade with Kisumu City having close to three fish processing plants. There were more five such plants when the fish trade was booming a couple of years ago, but due to the scarcity of fish, some were forced to close down their business prematurely.

Fishermen are scattered along the eastern shore of Lake Victoria, especially in the Nyanza Gulf [formerly Kavirondo Gulf}. They are in Nyakach, Nyando, Kisumu Town, Kisumu Rural and Seme areas. This is one of the trades which can boost the economy of the City whose populations is being moderately estimated to be between 3 and 4 million people.ost of these people are peasant living in rural locations and the rest concentrates in the peri-urban areas of Obunga, Nyalenda,Pand-Pieri, Dunga,Manyatta and Kondele satellite cities.

The City, however, suffered the brunt of the 2008 post-election violence which saw the traders and businessmen suffering the heaviest losses, which experts had estimated to be in the region of Kshs 6 billion. The City has yet to recover fully from these orgies and madness as well as intensive looting and massive destruction of properties during the mayhem that followed the disputed presidential election result in December 2007.

Agriculturally, the County of Kisumu could be the richest administrative area in the defunct Nyanza Province. It is housing four of the now close to eight white sugar manufacturing factories in the country. These are Kibos Sugar and Allied Industries at Kibos in the outskirt of Kisumu City, the run-down Miwani Sugar Mills at Miwani, Chemelil Sugar Company at Chemelil and Muhoroni Sugar Company, which is located next to the Muhoroni town.

All these factories boost can boost the employment opportunities for close to 10,000 workers if they properly managed and functioning in accordance to their daily production capacity. More people could also be absorbed on income generating jobs as casuals and those indirectly employed at the existing plant.

Bu the poverty index in the region, is the highest especially along the Nyanza sugar belt which covers three administrative districts of Muhoroni, Nyando and partly Kisumu East.

This could be attributed to maladministration, mismanagement, massive corruption and poor planning prompting the residents of the sugar belt region to call for the hastened privatization of the sugar factories. Two of the factories Muhoroni and Miwani are currently under what was termed ten years ago as “protective Official Receivership” which forced Miwani to closedown.

The government also stands blamed for lack of a clear-cut policy towards resuscitation of the permanently ailing sugar industry, and turn it around to a vibrant industrial concern for the economic growth of the nation.

The Countyof Kisumu is also situated in an area well known for its rice production. The rice is produced in the two schemes at Ahero and Kabonyo Rice Scheme. The government through the Lake Basin Development Authority had secured a huge loan from the African Development Bank and used the money in established the rice plant at Kibos in the outskirt of Kisumu City.

The multi-million shilling Rice factory at Kibos is currently under used due to acute shortage of paddies.

So far a number of leading Luo personalities have come forward offering their candidatures for the various position of governance within the new County. Other s have declared their intention to contest the various slots presented by the new constitution.

The Senate seat for Kisumu County appeared to have attracted more personalities who included the the Nairobi based business magnate Eng.Maxwell Otieno Odongo of the Otieno Odongo and Partners Engineering firm.

The engineer-cum-high court lawyer, Eng.Otieno Odongo is also running chain of businesses including rice milling, posho milling, tourist class hotel at Homa-Bay and Kisumu Town and is also involved in large scale sugar cane farming in Kibos areas.

Other names being mentioned in connection to the Senate contest include that of a Nairobi architect and former Gor Mahia FC chairman Ocholla Ogoda, former Nyakach MP Peter Odoyo,

Former Kisumu Town East MP Eric Gor Sungu, Nyando politician Charles Aguko. Other rumors making the round to the effect that the Minister for Medical Services Prof. Anyang’Nyong’o is contemplating the possibility of switching from his current Kisumu Rural Parliamentary seat to the Senate. However, this rumor could not be confirmed.

In the position of covenanted County governor, several names have been floated as the possible contestants. They include that of Walter Kitoto Adel, a Kisumu businessman and a former trade unionist. Eric Opon Nyamunga, the immediate former Nyando Mp and at one time the managing director of the Kenya Railways Corporation, Ojuwang K’Ombudo the former Minister for Regional Development, and two times Nyakach MP.

K’Ombudo who is credited for having been the most efficient and long serving Kisumu Town Clerk is said to be a man equipped with administrative prowess, which is unmatched.

Another name which has hit the ground on the position of governor is that of a professional accountant Fred Otieno Wagah from Kano Kobura, who is working and living in the Unite States. Wagah is said to be a down to earth young man who could turn the County around if given chance. But he has yet to confirm if it is true he will be in the race. Also being menti9ned is the name of the Malindi Town Clerk Lumumba Ouya as the other possible aspirants for the position of governorship.

The County of Kisumu has the ready made tourist destination and sceneries, such as Dunga Beach. There are both the Yatch and Golf Clubs, which are located within a walking distant from the City’s Central Business District.

The City boost some of the ultra modern hotels of the tourist class, and many new medium size hotels that offers comfortable night accommodation to visitors. Other tourist attractions include Ndere Island which is housing close to 100 herds of Impala. A wildlife sanctuary is located within the city, which houses buffaloes, lions, leopard, hyenas and impalas.

Other center of attraction for visitors include the Kit-Mikaye famous rock in Seme, which is located only a few meters beside the main Kisumu Bondo highway and a distant of twenty minute drive.

The City is served by four highways, namely Kisumu-Ahero-Kericho road,Kisumu-Kakamega road, Kisumu Bondo road and Kisumu Busia road.

The water transport is also available in small motor boats, steamer and ships for both transportation of cargoes and passenger to any destination within the three countries of Kenya,Tanzania and Uganda that jointly owned Lake Victoria..

In the Port, the Kisumu Pier, though poorly maintained at the moment by the ailing Rift Valley Railways is still serving the landlocked nation in East and central African regions such as Uganda, northwestern Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, Eastern DR Congo, and Southern Sudan and beyond.

All these facilities could be improved tremendously if the right people, are put on the County of Kisumu governance and these are some of the reasons why the residents are calling upon perennial election losers and other politicians to keep off the County affairs.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com