Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga praised President William Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza regime for scaling up development of the county’s infrastructure.
Speaking on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, during the ongoing Devolution Conference, Governor Wanga credited the progress to a strong national–county relationship. She referred to the establishment of a broad-based government as a milestone that ushered in revolutionary programs in the region. She emphasized that the collaboration flourished despite Homa Bay not voting for Ruto in the past General Election.
“I want to thank you for your partnership in transforming Homa Bay to make it worthy of hosting this conference. When you last visited Homa Bay in January 2023, three-quarters of the development seen here was not there. I was an opposition governor, and there was no broad-based government and no partnership. But you had no intention of leaving us behind simply because of how we voted in the election in which you were voted as the president,” she said.
Among the flagship projects, Wanga noted the dualling of the main road in Homa Bay Town and construction of the Lake Pier, an important infrastructure project that will modernize the lakeside town and facilitate connectivity to Lake Victoria islands. Initiated in 2023, the pier will be a key transport and trade hub linking Homa Bay to Kisumu County, Entebbe and Jinja in Uganda, Mwanza in Tanzania, and other regional markets.
The governor noted the project not only ensured seamless transport and improved regional integration but also created thousands of direct and indirect job opportunities, transforming livelihoods in the county.
Wanga further thanked the Senate, Council of Governors, and County Assembly members for their efforts in making Homa Bay successful in hosting the high-profile devolution conference, terming it as a milestone in the history of development in the county.
Homa Bay Targets City Status in 10 Years
This comes as Governor Wanga seeks to transform Homa Bay into a top tourist and investment hub, drawing lessons from Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaking on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Homa Bay, ahead of the Devolution Conference, Wanga cited the county’s vast untapped potential in tourism, the blue economy, and urbanization.
She pointed out that Homa Bay boasts the longest coastline along Lake Victoria and thus a unique advantage to transform the county by its wide beachfront.
Wanga further said that she was planning to offer the county’s urban landscape a new face and redevelop it in Cape Town’s image. She hopes that within the next decade, Homa Bay will officially be recognized as a city.
“In another 10 years, we hope to be the city we are modelling after Cape Town as a city,” she added.
Check out the proposal for the Lakeside City Masterplan towards Homa Bay city status by 2035 below.
