President Ruto's Nyanza tour enters day two

President William Ruto’s tour of the Nyanza region entered its second day on Friday ahead of Madaraka Day celebrations set for the 1st of June at the Raila Odinga Stadium, in Homa Bay.

The head of state began the day by attending the closing ceremony of the Blue Economy Conference at Tom Mboya University (TMU), where he also commissioned a newly constructed university building.

During the event, the President emphasised that the government is committed to unlocking the full potential of the blue economy, which he described as a key driver of future economic growth.

He is accompanied by the former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Cabinet Secretaries, Governors, MPs and MCAs

“Through capacity development, better infrastructure and the scaling up of the aquaculture space, the sector will contribute more to the growth of our economy”, he said.

He also said it was necessary to streamline the sector through organising the stall-holders and building infrastructural capacity.

Ruto revealed that his administration has commenced the process of transforming the 450 registered Beach Management Units (BMU) in the country into economic units by converting them into cooperatives.

He said the government has already given grants amounting to Ksh3.2 billion to some BMU’s as part of the empowerment programmes.

Itinerary

According to his packed itinerary, President Ruto is also expected to launch the Kenya School of Law (KSL) campus and the TMU Maritime Centre of Excellence later in the day. The joint initiative is aimed at training professionals to support the Blue Economy, which is increasingly being positioned as a key economic frontier for the country.

The Head of State will then tour the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA) pier and fish market, before visiting the new Rangwe Sub-County headquarters and inspecting ongoing road infrastructure projects in the region.

On Saturday, May 31, President Ruto will host a meeting with Homa Bay leaders at the State Lodge from 4:00 p.m.