Residents were upbeat that Nyanza would transform into a commercial hub after multi-billion shilling projects kicked off in the region this year.
The projects estimated to be worth Sh100 billion are being funded by the national government, French Development Agency and the World Bank while the county government has embarked on development initiatives.
The year held a lot of promise to residents who have suffered unemployment and high cost of living.
However, the completion of some projects hangs in the balance after they stalled even as residents remain optimistic that this will bear fruit in 2020.
This has presented a mixed bag of fortunes as the economy slowly begins to rebound.
Among the projects that have injected life in the economy is the Sh15 billion Kenya Breweries Limited (KBL) plant in Kisumu which has seen farmers contracted to grow sorghum.
The company sunk Sh15 billion in the Keg brewery in Kisumu where the farmers supply white sorghum variety as the main raw material.
KBL management is optimistic that the plant will create up to 100,000 jobs in the value chain.
The Lake Basin Development Authority (LBDA) mall overcame controversy that delayed the opening and it has started attracting business.
Since completion in 2016, the multi-billion shilling mall had been struggling to get tenants with business spaces unoccupied but currently up to 54 per cent has been taken up.
Yesterday, the LBDA chairman Odoyo Owidi hailed the progress the mall has made saying it has attracted several events with another key tenant, Kenya Revenue Authority also finalising plans to relocate to the mall.
“Office spaces have been occupied and the demand for space has been at its peak, and there are a number of activities that are taking place in the mall,” said Owidi.
In the past, various government watchdogs including the Auditor General and the office of the Attorney General had warned that delay to open the mall was costing taxpayers millions in revenue.
But it is the completion of the Kisumu-Kakamega road which has delayed for more than two years that is likely to affect business at the mall.
Disagreement
The multi-million shilling road which had also been projected to be complete this year stalled following a contractual disagreement between the national government and the contractor.
Mr Owidi said that the incomplete stretch was blocking easy access to the mall.
“We are hopeful that the stretch will be completed in time to ease access to the mall,” said the chairman.
Despite the developments, completion of some projects hangs in the balance.
The Ahero-Isibania expressway is yet to be completed and the contractor has not been on site for several months.
Construction of a Sh70 billion ring road running along Lake Victoria beaches, from Busia to Migori, which had been tipped to turn the region into an economic hub is yet to kick off.
Residents are also awaiting the commissioning of the Sh1.7 billion oil jetty and a Sh4 billion plan to upgrade Kisumu city’s infrastructure.
While a section of residents and economists claim that the projects are yet to reach their potential, government officials have maintained that the projects are a success.
Some of the projects including the revitalisation of the blue economy robbed thousands of residents of their livelihoods after their business premises were demolished.
Traders who were engaged directly and indirectly in the stalls that were brought down are yet to get alternative spaces to operate.
Attempts by the county government to construct some 500 stalls to relocate the traders have since stalled, following a disagreement with Kenya Power.
Another plan to construct a Sh350 million market also hangs in the balance over a disagreement with Jua Kali artisans who are also claiming part of the land.
Yesterday, Kisumu County director of communication Aloice Ager said that the multi-billion shillings projects have propelled the economy of the region.
“The future is bright and both the county and national governments have put in place projects to help achieve the Big Four agenda,” said Ager.
The proposal to merge loss-making sugar companies is expected to save the ailing industry.
Despite attempts to resolve the woes facing the sugar industry, several millers are on their deathbed with farmers owed millions of shillings in arrears.
Health workers strike
Chemelil, Nzoia and Muhoroni Sugar factories are banking on government bailout to jumpstart operations. Chemelil stopped milling early this year.
But it is the health sector that has been the hardest hit in the region.
Despite the government rolling out Universal Healthcare programme health workers strike has crippled operations in Kisumu.
The frequent strikes by the health workers has dampened Governor Anyang Ngongo’s plans for the sector which was top of his priorities when he took office in 2017.
Lack of essential drugs has also added to the woes of the health sector. Homa Bay County is facing drugs shortage which has affected healthcare.
The biting blood shortage in public hospitals has only worsened the situation.
