After President’s visit, William Ruto heads to Migori

Deputy President William Ruto is on Sunday expected to visit Migori County to assess and launch development projects barely a month after President Kenyatta toured the region in a visit that ended in disarray.

Mr Ruto is scheduled to preside over a fundraiser at Ombo Catholic Church, located just 300 metres away from Migori Primary School, where the President’s meeting was disrupted by unruly youths.

Mr Ruto, who is expected to arrive by 9am, will attend a mass service at the church before the fundraiser.

It is expected that he will continue his charm offensive to woo the Luo community that predominantly voted for ODM in the last General Election into the Jubilee fold.

The Deputy President is visiting Migori two days after he held yet another fundraiser in aid of Gionseri Secondary School in neighbouring Kisii County.

KISII TOUR

His Friday visit to Kisii County was the third since the Jubilee administration took over power and he spared no chance to remind residents that the government will not discriminate against anyone in the delivery of services, despite the fact that they did not overwhelmingly vote for it.

In Migori, talk is rife in the border town that the Deputy President will also be testing the political waters after the President’s acrimonious exit from the area.

The President’s function was disrupted by rowdy youths, forcing him to hurriedly conclude it.

The Migori Primary School grounds incident that saw chairs and shoes thrown towards the presidential dias triggered transfers of most senior security officers in the county.

Many wondered how such disruptions could be planned and executed without the officers getting wind of it.

Mr Kenyatta has since declared that the suspects who had been charged in court in connection with the incident be freed after he forgave them.

“Let him go to Migori to try his luck but he will not add any value to the Jubilee team. We welcome him to participate in development projects but he should forget adding any vote to their team,” said Mr Owino Likowa, former Migori MP.

But he asked the residents to welcome the DP to conduct “his affairs of the day”.

“We cannot be happy with this government when nearly all public appointments are only coming from Central and Rift Valley. Even smaller communities in Nyanza like the Kuria and the Kisii will no longer be taken for a ride by the Jubilee administration,” said Mr Likowa, who has also declared his interest in the Migori Senate seat.

But a retired civil servant, Mr Okello Owiny, told the Sunday Nation the Luo community must seize this golden opportunity to demonstrate that they respect national leaders.

NO SHOE THROWING

“We must undo what happened to Mr Kenyatta during the Ruto visit by according the DP a welcome that befits a national leader. Our leader Raila Odinga will only be respected in other regions when we also display maturity and respect to leaders from other regions when they visit us,” he added.

But this time, Mr Ruto will be visiting Migori in the absence of Governor Okoth Obado and he will be hosted by Deputy Governor Nelson Mahanga, Senator Wilfred Machage and by some of the local MPs. Governor Obado is in India for a business summit.

Meanwhile, security has been beefed up in the border town in readiness for the Deputy President’s visit.

The county security committee chaired by County Commissioner Anne Ng’etich was yesterday making final arrangements to make sure the visit by the DP goes on well.

“We are set for the big day and we hope what President Kenyatta experienced when he came here last month will not recur. It is the role of everybody to make sure we accord leaders good reception and the respect they deserve,” she told the Sunday Nation.

“We have upped our game and I hope it will be a successful day,” said the County Commissioner.