N.A. Speaker Dr Moses Wetang’ula….Photo/File
NAIROBI, Kenya (IP)
Wetang’ula’s gamble, they say, is not about abandoning principles — but about finally funding them.
In Western Kenya, trust is no longer being rebuilt with slogans or perfectly rehearsed press conferences.
It is being poured into concrete slabs, wired through transformers, tarmacked across stubborn potholes and, in some cases, electrified into homes that had perfected life with lanterns.
And for once, the politics is loud — but the projects are louder.
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, a familiar voice of opposition between 2013 and 2022, has embraced a new argument since joining President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza administration: development does not respond to anger, only to budgets.
He now claims the current government has delivered more tangible results in a short stint than all former presidents, daring critics to prove otherwise using projects, not protest notes.
“Bring figures, not feelings,” Wetang’ula has said, framing development as a scorecard where speeches do not earn points.
Bungoma: From Promises to Progress
In Bungoma County, the Speaker’s political base, Kenya Kwanza-backed projects stretch across nearly every sector, turning the region into what supporters describe as a permanent site visit.
Modern markets, roads, electrification, dams, hospitals, training institutions and industrial parks dominate the county’s development ledger, with billions committed and construction ongoing.
From the Chwele Modern Market and Masinde Muliro Stadium to the Bungoma Dry Port, Matulo Airstrip, Sang’alo Industrial Park, expanded power connectivity and a fully operational State Lodge, Bungoma has emerged as one of the most visible beneficiaries of national planning.
Roads that once featured mainly in manifestos have moved from promise to pavement.
The Mayanja–Sirisia Road, Nalondo–Musese Road, Musikoma–Sang’alo–Kakamega corridor and key links through Ligation, Naitiri and Kiminini have been completed or significantly upgraded, improving movement of goods, farm produce and commuters across Bungoma and into neighboring counties.
Supporters also point to the elevation of Bungoma to city status, widespread tarmacking across Sirisia, Kanduyi Kimilili, and the completed upgrade of Bungoma Referral Hospital to Level 5 as evidence the county has shifted from political footnotes to the national planning table.
Beyond infrastructure, Wetang’ula has highlighted the growing presence of Western Kenya professionals in senior government appointments across state agencies and parastatals, arguing that representation inside decision-making rooms has helped convert regional priorities into funded projects rather than shelved proposals.
Kakamega: Stadiums, Hospitals and Roads
In neighboring Kakamega County, President Ruto has announced a KSh 1.4 billion commitment to complete Bukhungu International Stadium, a project long stalled and frequently invoked during campaign seasons without progress.
The national government has also allocated KSh 1 billion toward upgrading the Kakamega County Teaching and Referral Hospital to Level 6, positioning it as a regional referral facility serving much of Western Kenya.
Road works are also underway, including upgrades linking the Kakamega airstrip to Shinyalu, Malava to Navakholo, and major corridors connecting Bungoma, Trans Nzoia and Uasin Gishu — roads residents say previously existed mainly as political metaphors.
Vihiga: Markets and Mobility
In Vihiga County, the government has rolled out funding for modern markets in Luanda and Chavakali, part of a broader push to formalise trade and decongest town centres.
The projects, valued in the hundreds of millions, are designed to accommodate thousands of traders, complete with cold storage, sanitation and digital facilities.
Key road corridors linking Vihiga to Kakamega and Kisumu are also under construction, strengthening regional trade links long discussed but rarely financed.
Wetang’ula’s Political Math
Wetang’ula has tied the growing list of projects to a clear political appeal, urging Western Kenya voters to support President Ruto’s re-election, arguing continuity is the only way to move projects from launch ceremonies to completion.
Looking beyond 2027, the Speaker has openly declared his intention to run for the presidency in 2032, saying his immediate focus is ensuring the region fully benefits from its place within government.
In his characteristically sharp tone, Wetang’ula has told critics that opposition without access to the Treasury produces only eloquent disappointment, while government participation — however uncomfortable — produces hospitals, markets and roads.
Whether voters will reward the strategy remains a political question.
But across Western Kenya, the evidence is increasingly physical — measured in kilometres of tarmac, megawatts of electricity and cranes permanently parked on site.
