Ruto in investment tour of Busia after Raila’s visit

 

Deputy President William Ruto will on Friday make an “investment” tour of Busia, 12 days after ODM leader Raila Odinga toured the county to popularise the BBI.

The DP is expected to help raise funds for boda boda associations.

According to former Teso South MP Mary Emase, Ruto will be at the border county where he will officiate three events.

He will hold the events at the Busia Polytechnic in Busia town, Funyula and Budalang’i.

Emase said the fundraisers are aimed at enabling commercial motorcyclists to expand their investments and earn more money.

The fundraising events will be attended by various boda boda associations leaders. 

Emase, however, did not reveal which event of the three the DP will preside first.

The function in Busia town will bring together boda boda groups from Matayos and Teso South subcounties.

It was not clear by the time the Star filed this story whether similar events will be held for the remaining subcounties of Teso North, Butula and Nambale.

Emase said boda boda associations in each of the subcounties that will be visited have identified projects that will be pursued after resources have been availed for investment.

“The visit is purely an investment, we have already identified priority projects for them to inject money when the resources are availed‚” Emase told the Star on the phone on Wednesday.

Raila, during his visit on February 28, said the BBI idea seeks to send more resources to the counties. The Bill, he said envisions channelling at least 35 per cent of the total annual budget funds to the 47 counties.

The 35 per cent, when sent to the counties, the former prime minister says will help support the development and improve the livelihoods of Kenyans.

Although the primary reason for the DP’s visit is to aid the development of boda boda groups, national and local politics are also expected to dominate the events of the day.

During his last visit to Busia during the burial of Regina Akumu in Funyula on January 30, the DP said claims by leaders supporting the BBI that the initiative will increase budgetary allocations to counties may not be true.

Leaders allied to the DP have been vocal saying the 35 per cent of the national budget allocations which BBI says will be directed to counties is only aimed at luring Kenyans to back the initiative during the referendum.

BBI politics dominated all three events when Raila toured Busia on February 28.

Raila during the tour used the occasion to politically attack the DP who he said is insincere to Kenyans by propagating wheelbarrow politics which he termed as an insult to poor Kenyans.

“They have forgotten what they promised the youth and they have come back telling us that they want to give our youth wheelbarrows, a piece of equipment only needed at construction sites,” Raila said.

Ruto may use his visit to answer back to President Uhuru Kenyatta's handshake colleague.

Local leaders, during the tour, are also projected to seek interventions from Ruto when he visits to push for the completion of the Busia-Malaba highway whose completion has delayed.

When he visited Busia on July 5, 2019, the DP promised to push for the completion of the road by end of 2019.

“By December 2019 the residents of the county will take a few minutes from Malaba to Busia compared to the current situation when residents take many hours to reach Busia Town,” he said then.

Emase who lost to Geoffrey Omuse of ODM during the 2017 General Election is keen on recapturing her seat.

She was elected in 2013 on a Jubilee Party ticket.  BY THE STAR