A collage of Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna / HANDOUTHoma Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has hit back at Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna over his remarks on the dusty roads encountered by the Linda Mwananchi team during its tour of the county.
Sifuna, who led the Linda Mwananchi team in a series of rallies in Homa Bay on Sunday, took a swipe at the state of roads in parts of the county after the convoy was forced to leave the highway and use an off-road route to access some of its rally venues.
The convoy also encountered road blockades and sections of roads covered in stones amid heightened tension as the team moved through the county.
Sharing a photograph of himself covered in dust while holding the Kenyan flag, Sifuna wrote: “Bwana walisema huku Homa Bay ndio kuna shiny things kumbe ni ukora tu. Dust is constant.”
The post sparked debate online, with Kenyans sharing memes and questioning the state of infrastructure in the county.
Wanga, however, said the condition of the roads should be viewed within the wider history of development and marginalisation in Homa Bay.
In a statement titled “Beyond the Dust: Homa Bay's Long Road from Marginalisation to Transformation,” the governor said the dust on the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor represented the challenges residents had endured for decades rather than a failure by the people of Homa Bay.
“The dust on the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor tells a story. But it is not the story of a people who have failed. It is the story of a region that has waited far too long for the infrastructure required to unlock its potential,” Wanga said.
She said the condition of the roads had become a symbol of the infrastructure challenges facing the county and other historically underserved regions.
“For the people who live along these roads, however, their condition is no joke; it is a daily reality that shapes access to markets and services, the cost of doing business, and the pace at which communities can develop,” she said.
Wanga traced the infrastructure deficit to successive administrations since independence, saying Homa Bay had experienced decades of underdevelopment.
She listed the administrations of Jomo Kenyatta, Daniel Arap Moi, Mwai Kibaki and Uhuru Kenyatta among those that governed during the period in which the roads remained largely undeveloped.
The governor singled out the Mbita road as an example, saying the 74-kilometre road was first awarded in 2016 under the Uhuru Kenyatta administration but stalled due to lack of allocated funds, with only seven kilometres completed.
She said the project was re-awarded in 2020 but again made little progress.
“In the last two years, 28km have so far been tarmacked, with works currently ongoing,” Wanga said.
She argued that major trunk roads such as the Mbita corridor could not be addressed through county government or Constituency Development Fund resources.
Wanga also defended devolution, saying it had given counties greater control over their development priorities and resources.
The governor said the county was not ashamed of its history of marginalisation and would not allow the condition of its roads to become a source of ridicule.
“It is devolution, championed for decades by leaders including Raila Odinga, that has begun to give counties like Homa Bay a say over their own development and a share of resources once concentrated at the centre. We are not embarrassed by that history,” she said.
Wanga pointed to the deaths of former Cabinet minister Tom Mboya and former Vice President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga as part of Homa Bay's political history, arguing that their absence from government had affected the region's development trajectory.
She also invoked Raila Odinga's political history, saying many residents believe his presidency would have delivered greater infrastructure development to the region.
Wanga, however, said the focus should now be on assessing the progress being made rather than dwelling solely on the historical deficit.
She cited several projects she said were either completed or under implementation since 2024 under President William Ruto's administration.
They include the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor and roads across Suba South, as well as the Lala–Ruga, Nyalkinyi–Imbo, Gor Mahia Ring Road, Rangwe–Oboke, Rangwe–Ndiru and Kadel–Kanyadhiang–Kilusi–Opanga–Ramba roads.
Other projects listed by the governor include Kadongo–Lida, Adiedo–No. Karabok, Agolo Muok–Seka–Otati, Lwanda–Osodo–Kanyakiamo, Nyabera–Corner Koguta, Njeri–Pala and the Sindo Town road network.
She also cited the Homa Bay Pier, Modern Fish Market, Raila Odinga Stadium, Economic Stimulus Programme markets, Rusinga Road and Mfangano Ring Road among projects being undertaken in the county.
Wanga urged residents not to be distracted by the controversy surrounding the road conditions.
The governor maintained that the road challenges were real but said development was also taking place.
“The dust is real. The historical deficit is real. But so is the transformation now underway. Beyond the dust lies the Homa Bay we have always deserved,” Wanga said.
