Siaya Governor James Orengo on Monday drew a large crowd after making surprise stopovers in Kabondo Kasipul, engaging residents in a grassroots listening tour that stretched across Kadongo, Ringa (Kojwach), and later Oyugis Town in Kasipul Constituency.
In a statement shared on X, Orengo said the engagements were aimed at “listening to the heartbeat of the people,” noting that while the energy from residents was high, their concerns were equally strong and urgent.
“Thank you, Homa Bay! Today, I made impromptu stopovers to listen to the heartbeat of the people in Kadongo and Ringa (Kojwach) in Kabondo Kasipul, before wrapping up in Oyugis Town, Kasipul Constituency,” he said.
The Governor noted that residents raised concerns over insecurity affecting local businesses, stalled infrastructure projects, and challenges in the health sector, particularly under the Social Health Authority (SHA) system at Rachuonyo District Hospital.
He further pointed to abandoned road projects, including Ringa-Atemo and Kakelo-Kokwanyo roads, saying they have slowed down economic activity in the region.
“Local businesses are suffocating under a wave of insecurity, key infrastructure like the Ringa-Atemo and Kakelo-Kokwanyo roads remain abandoned, and health services under SHA at Rachuonyo District Hospital are failing our families,” Orengo stated.
The Governor also criticized what he termed as over-reliance on national government promises, arguing that counties must prioritize self-sustaining development projects.
“We cannot celebrate ‘Last Mile’ power connectivity on paper when our villages remain in darkness. We cannot have local water projects bypassing the immediate community,” he said.
He compared Homa Bay’s development approach with neighboring Siaya County, noting that more emphasis should be placed on county-driven projects rather than dependency on external funding commitments.
Orengo further cited unfulfilled promises such as the school bus for Atemo Secondary School and rising cost of living pressures affecting residents.
“The journey to fix our region and our nation continues,” he concluded.
