By Anderson Ojwang
Homa Bay County, branded as the “Bay of Endless Potential,” is living up to the billing.
Homa Bay County’s endless conferences are yet to yield any potential in the form of development and investments, despite the last high-level Homa Bay International Investment Conference in 2024, the Devolution Conference, and now the Smart Cities and Townships Conference scheduled for this month.
After the 2022 General Election, Governor Gladys Wanga’s administration has engaged in high-voltage conferences and meetings which have failed to translate into any meaningful development potential.
And yesterday, Wanga posted that her cabinet had approved the hosting of the African Smart Cities and Township Alliance Conference from August 19th and 20th, 2026, in partnership with the World Smart Cities Forum.
MOU
Governor Gladys Wanga recently signed an MoU with the World Smart Cities Forum to position Homa Bay as a pilot region for integrated development.
The partnership will focus on healthcare, infrastructure, renewable energy, and industrial growth.
The Forum will also host its global summit in Homa Bay on August 26-27, 2026, boosting Homa Bay’s investment and tourism potential.
The Homa Bay International Investment Conference 2024
Homa Bay County has stirred the public with high-voltage international investment and trade conferences that have turned out to be pipe dreams.
In 2024, Governor G. Wanga hosted the second International Investment and Trade Conference, which was attended by President William Ruto and former Prime Minister the late Raila Odinga, among others.
It was billed as a milestone in exploiting the endless potential of Homa Bay County, and afterward, it gained a positive ranking.
During the recent International Investment Conference, the Homa Bay County Government and investors signed nine Memoranda of Understanding (MOUs).
Wanga commended all stakeholders, including the executive, partners, and sponsors, for their contributions to the success of the investment conference.
MOUs signed
The county government signed MOUs with various organisations, including Afropal International Limited, Ento Tech Africa Limited, Yazmark International, Rift Valley Products Limited, Manda University Trust, Fairdeal Real Estate, Kenya Shipyard Limited, and Redington.
Wanga said that in the agricultural sector, Afropal International Limited, in collaboration with the national government, would provide a framework for edible oil palm production around the Lake Victoria region, including Homa Bay County.
Yazmark International and the Homa Bay County Government are set to establish a 50-bed Mother and Child Specialist Hospital to tackle regional healthcare challenges.
“With regards to education, the county is expected to establish Manda University Kenya to specialise in health sciences and agricultural courses through a partnership with Manda University Trust,” she added.
The Governor said Fairdeal Real Estate is set to invest in affordable housing and student hostel construction projects to support the growing population in the county.
On the other hand, Redington, through the partnership, was also expected to generate solar power that would benefit beaches, schools, and hospitals not connected to the national grid in Homa Bay, which will promote employment and technology transfer.
Tragedies
The tragedy is that after the signing of the MOUs, nothing has happened, with no investors on site in the county.
The Riwa Industrial Park, which was expected to host investors, is incomplete and an eyesore.
Riwa, which is a joint project between the national government and county government, currently stands at 37 percent completion.
This was despite the national government having contributed its 50 percent share of Sh250 million, while the county government had allocated and disbursed Sh250 million.
The sad reality is that at the Riwa Industrial Park there is no roofing, and the fencing of the facility is incomplete.
Sources revealed that the State Department had blacklisted Homa Bay County for failing to complete the construction even after receiving the national government allocation.
The national government had even installed a transformer at the facility to provide electricity to investors, but it now looks abandoned.
The county government was directed to complete the construction by 25th August 2025, but no works are ongoing at the facility, while Migori County, which received funds recently, has achieved 80 percent completion at its industrial park.
Devolution Conference 2025
The Devolution Conference came right on the heels of the International Investment and Trade Conference. The Devolution Conference hosted over 10,000 delegates at Raila Odinga Stadium and Homa Bay High School, themed “For the People; For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion, and Social Justice.”
From the two conferences, Homa Bay County is yet to realise any investors and investment, save for President William Ruto-funded government projects in the county.
Endless political rhetoric
Homa Bay County has been served endless political rhetoric while it bleeds for development.
There is growing frustration among residents, traders, youth, and local leaders who argue that Homa Bay continues to lag in development despite possessing strong economic and tourism advantages in the country.
Among the major concerns raised is the persistent shortage of clean and reliable water, and Wanga taking credit for projects initiated or funded by the national government while failing to adequately explain how county funds allocated through devolution were being utilised.
The dissatisfaction among Homa Bay residents is also being fuelled by claims of abandoned projects scattered across the county.
Homa Bay residents have also expressed concern over what they describe as increasing political intolerance, saying county leadership should prioritise service delivery over political confrontations and online exchanges.
Wanga has defended her administration’s development record, asserting that her team has accomplished more in the past three and a half years than the previous regime did in ten years.
“It is true that we have not completed all the projects we promised; some roads are still unfinished, and some health facilities still need to be constructed, while water projects require expansion. But we are on the right path,” she stated. “When you consider what we have achieved in the past three and a half years, it is significantly more than what the previous administration accomplished in ten years.”
Governor Wanga highlighted the increase in Early Childhood Education classrooms, noting that they found only 23 in the entire 40 wards upon taking office, but have since expanded that number to 604.
