Kisumu, Sept. 13 — President William Ruto is on the ground in Nyanza this morning, kicking off a four-day development blitz across the region with a high-energy church service in Kisumu, making a direct play for influence in territory long considered ODM’s political stronghold.
Ruto is at Voice of Salvation and Healing Church as this story publishes, flanked by Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and veteran ODM figure Anyang’ Nyong’o, in a visible display of cross-party cooperation playing out live. He has pledged Ksh10 million to a local Kisumu school and is using the pulpit to spotlight his government’s partnerships with ODM leaders, framing the visit as proof of tangible development delivery rather than political rivalry.
Over the next four days, the tour moves through Kisumu, Siaya, Homa Bay and Migori counties, with inspections of roads, housing, water and other infrastructure projects worth billions of shillings still to come, part of a broader push to cement gains in a region where his political rivals have traditionally held sway.
The timing could not be more pointed. At the same time, thousands rallied behind Linda Mwananchi and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna in Nairobi, with opposition figures James Orengo and Babu Owino sharpening their attacks on his administration. By courting ODM governors and pledging fresh cash on their home turf today, Ruto is moving in real time to blunt opposition momentum and reassert his standing in a region central to the 2027 electoral map.