NAIROBI, Kenya Aug 17 – Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has defended the county’s development record following public attention to the poor state of roads in parts of Suba South, saying the dilapidated infrastructure is a reflection of decades of historical marginalisation rather than a failure by the devolved government.
Wanga said images of dusty and rutted roads along the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor during a recent tour by Linda Mwananchi had inadvertently drawn attention to a problem that residents have endured for generations.
In a statement , the governor said the condition of the roads should not be treated as a source of ridicule but as evidence of the infrastructure deficit that has constrained economic growth in the region.
“The dust on the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor tells a story. But it is not the story of a people who have failed. It is the story of a region that has waited far too long for the infrastructure required to unlock its potential,” Wanga said.
She argued that the poor roads affect virtually every aspect of life for communities along the corridor, including access to markets, health and other public services, the cost of transporting goods and the ability of businesses to expand.
Wanga said Homa Bay’s infrastructure challenges should also be viewed against the wider history of development inequalities in Kenya, arguing that several regions have experienced decades of underinvestment despite their population, resources and economic potential.
She cited areas stretching from Siaya and Nyatike to Turkana, Maasailand, Western Kenya and the Coast as examples of regions that, in her view, have historically received a disproportionately small share of national infrastructure investment.
The governor said the responsibility for the infrastructure deficit cannot be attributed to one administration, noting that the problem spans successive governments since independence.
She singled out the Mbita road as an example of how infrastructure projects have remained incomplete for years.
According to Wanga, the 74-kilometre road was initially awarded in 2016 during the administration of former President Uhuru Kenyatta but stalled after only seven kilometres had been completed because of funding constraints.
The project was re-awarded in 2020 but again made little progress, she said.
Wanga said construction had accelerated in the past two years, with 28 kilometres so far tarmacked and works continuing on the remaining sections.
She rejected suggestions that county governments or Constituency Development Funds could have addressed the entire problem, pointing out that a major trunk road such as the Mbita corridor falls within the responsibility of the national government.
“It is important to note that a 74km trunk road is not something that devolution or CDF can address,” she said.
At the same time, Wanga defended devolution as an important mechanism for addressing historical disparities, saying counties now have greater authority and resources to determine their development priorities.
She said devolution, which was championed by political leaders including former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, had shifted development decisions away from an overly centralised system and given marginalised regions a stronger voice in determining how public resources are spent.
“This has turned the case for correcting marginalisation from a matter of goodwill into a constitutional guarantee,” she said.
Wanga also linked Homa Bay’s development struggles to the region’s political history, invoking the legacy of former Cabinet minister Tom Mboya and former Vice-President Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
She argued that the political exclusion and deaths of the two leaders had interrupted what she described as a potential path towards greater national influence for the region.
“Jaramogi was forced out in 1966, Mboya assassinated in 1969, both on a path toward the presidency,” she said.
She further argued that Raila Odinga’s political journey should be considered in the context of the region’s long-standing quest for greater national representation and development.
Wanga said the current infrastructure projects in Homa Bay should therefore not be dismissed as political theatre, arguing that the county is gradually emerging from a legacy of underdevelopment.
She said the public reaction to the poor roads had provided an opportunity to confront the historical inequalities facing the region rather than ridicule communities living with the consequences.
“We are not embarrassed by that history,” Wanga said. “If images of rutted roads earned Homa Bay comparisons to conflict zones, we take that as a badge of honour to our marginalisation and resilience, not an insult requiring our silence.”
