By Sammy Weya
Distinguished guests, leaders, professionals, farmers, development partners, and friends from across our four countries,
Allow me to begin by thanking the organisers of this important symposium for convening us at such a critical moment in our region’s journey.
Before I proceed, I wish, on my own behalf and on behalf of the people of Nyanza, to extend our deepest condolences to the family and loved ones of our departed leader, the late Raila.
We stand in solidarity with the people of Nyanza and the wider community as we mourn this great loss. May his soul rest in eternal peace.
Today, more than ever, unity must be our anchor — unity as a community, unity politically, and unity economically. History teaches us that when we walk divided, we stagnate; but when we walk together, we advance.
Nyanza is not poor. Nyanza is underutilised.
Our region has over 350,000 acres of irrigation infrastructure potential, yet only about
17,000 acres are currently utilised. This is not a land or climate problem; it is a coordination, policy, and execution challenge that we must solve together.
Within this vast potential lies the opportunity to transform livelihoods through strategic, scalable value chains — rice, sunflower, soya beans, and cotton — crops that can anchor
agro-industrial growth, create jobs, and generate sustainable wealth.
In addition, Nyanza and the wider Lake Victoria Basin have strong potential for cocoa and palm oil, particularly where rainfall patterns, soils, and aggregation models allow. These
long-term, high-value crops can support agro-processing, exports, and intergenerational wealth creation.
Coffee Farming
Our region also has the ecological capacity to produce premium Arabica coffee, especially SL28 and Ruiru 11 varieties, which command high prices globally. With proper aggregation, processing, and market access, coffee can once again become a pillar of rural prosperity.
As we expand irrigation and agriculture, we must also commit to protecting our rivers that flow into Lake Victoria. Protecting riverbanks, stopping encroachment, and reafforesting
our river catchments is not an environmental slogan; it is an economic necessity.
Without our rivers, we lose irrigation, fisheries, and future production.
We cannot transform agriculture without financial sovereignty. That is why the establishment of a community-owned bank and a community-owned insurance company, spearheaded jointly by our four counties, is critical.
These institutions would finance farmers and agribusinesses, insure crops and assets against climate risks, retain capital within the region, and reduce dependency on external financing.
Equally important is connectivity.
An airstrip in Siaya is no longer a luxury — it is an
economic enabler.
It will open Nyanza to investors, accelerate trade, support high-value agriculture, and integrate our region into national and regional markets.
If we are serious about wealth creation, then we must also be serious about policy and legislation.
We must collectively lobby our governments to reduce and ultimately stop unnecessary imports of sugar and rice — commodities we have the capacity to produce
competitively within our own countries.
At the same time, we must push for harmonised policies and supportive legislation across our four countries that protect local producers, encourage value addition, and promote regional trade.
Government- and donor-supported projects must be judged by one simple measure: do they create lasting wealth for our people?
Not reports or workshops, but income, assets, dignity, and intergenerational prosperity.
Finally, progress is built on trust. We must continue to walk with the communities that trusted us and stood with us in the past.
Development that excludes people is temporary; development built with communities is sustainable.
If we remain united — politically, socially, economically, environmentally, and regionally — there is no doubt about our future.
May God bless Nyanza. May God bless the Luo community. And in unity — in politics and in business — we shall prosper.
The Author,
Former Member of Parliament, Alego Usonga
Farmer and Businessman
