A section of Kuria residents now wants the national government to construct and maintain Kehancha-Lolgorian-Narok-Nairobi road to open up rural centres for trade, besides cutting the cost of transport to Nairobi.

Led by ODM gubernatorial running mate Dr. Joseph Mahiri, the locals said the road which passes through the four different clans of the Banyabasi, Bakira, Bairege and Bagumbe will also help their sons and daughters to be employed on the project.

Mahiri who is Dr. Ochillo Ayacko’s running mate said the road will serve as a transit to the Maasai Mara National Reserve and Serengeti, boosting trade and tourism between Kenya and Tanzania.

The residents who were speaking in Kugitura in Bukira North of Kuria East asked Azimio La Umoja presidential candidate Raila Amollo Odinga to consider Kuria region in his administration when he is elected like other regions where him (Raila) and Uhuru Kenyatta keeps launching road projects.

From Kehancha to Nairobi through Kisii consumes almost seven hours unlike the proposed shortest route which will cover only two hours.

A group of Civil Society Organisations from Migori now calls for peaceful campaigns ahead of August General Elections.

Led by Eastern Africa Collaboration on Economic Social and Cultural Rights (EACOR) Western coordinator Betha Juma Kokach, the group dominated by youth called on their counterparts not to be swayed into divisive politics by rogue politicians, saying that they should learn to say no and be peace advocates before and after the elections.

Kokach said the youth in their groups will embark on peace advocacy in all parts of the region, to enable Kenyans be in a position to make informed decisions in the next week’s poll.

She also cautioned the political candidates to desist from careless utterance that might spark violence in the region and instead advocate for issue based politics for the sake of peace and unity.

Dickens Ouma, a bodaboda operator encouraged the aspirants to demonstrate a high level of tolerance to ensure peace prevails in the lead up, during and after elections.

He called for winners and losers to be ready to accept the outcome of the poll and ensure peaceful coexistence.

Titus Orwa, a business man urged the politicians to make personal commitment to maintain peace before, during and after the election.

Gloria Ocholla, a youth from the region, encouraged the politician to be mindful of their actions, saying women and children are the ones who are affected gravely, when violence occurs during or after elections.

She told politicians to be mindful about people’s lives, especially mothers and children and ensure their safety during electioneering period. 

Abagusii community leaving in Kuria land of Migori county have thrown their weight behind Azimio presidential candidate Raila Odinga.
The over 300 members led by Nyanguto Openda and Samwel Njege today met in Isebania town saying the Abagusii community already cemented their stake in the party and will largely vote Raila.
Openda said the Abagusii’s vote basket is significant and called on leaders to speak with one voice for their fair share of the national cake.

Principal Secretary, State Department for Social Protection, Senior Citizens Affairs and Special Programmes Mr. Nelson Marwa however assured Kenyans that police are adequately prepared to discharge their duties in the course of the electoral cycle.
Speaking during the same declaration event, Marwa warned all those hell-bent on acts of criminality and lawlessness to refrain from crime.
He said that the government is prepared to handle all forms of threats to election security before, during and after the elections.

Nyatike MP Hon. Tom Odege has urged the youth not to allow politicians to use them to cause violence.
He told his competitors to focus on creating jobs for the youth instead of misusing them to achieve their selfish ends.
Odege said days are long gone when some leaders resorted to use of violence to manage politics, saying youths were now more enlightened than before.
Speaking in Migori town on Monday, Odege urged leaders to sell their agenda to Kenyans instead of misusing youths.

The legislature at the same time urged youths to move towards issue-based voting and discourage clanism loyalty.
He said such acts of violence as barbaric and outdated and called on the security organs crack down of violent individuals ahead of the general elections.
Odege was referring to the shooting incident which involved former Nyatike Mp. Edick Anyanga in Nyakweri that left one person nursing serious gun inflicted wounds in the abdomen.
Anyanga allegedly shot at a group of young men he ran into from his campaign trails at night.
He was later arrested and arraigned before Migori law courts and charged for tempting murder and released on bond of 1 million or a cash bill of 300, 000.
The former legislator appeared before senior principal magistrate justice Johnstone Munguti of Migori High Court.

ODM party National Chairman John Mbadi has told the Kenya Kwanza presidential candidate Deputy President William Ruto that he is free to tour and campaign in Nyanza region.

Mbadi says the utterances by Ruto that Raila Odinga, the Azimio La Umoja presidential candidate had blocked him from campaigning in the region is false.

He accused Ruto of dividing Nyanza while campaigning in the counties of Kisii, Nyamira and parts of Migori (Kuria) while neglecting other areas.

“I saw his campaign schedule and the counties of Luo Nyanza were missing,” he said.

He noted that the region is free to accommodate any presidential candidate noting that the Roots party leader George Wacjakoya also visited Kisumu.

However, Mbadi says the people of Nyanza region have decided to vote for Raila but will just listen to Ruto.

Speaking in Kisumu West Constituency when he drummed up support to the ODM nominee Rosa Buyu ahead of the polls, Mbadi says Raila was in the stronghold area of Ruto in Eldoret and nobody stops Ruto from visiting Nyanza.

“Within this remaining period, if he wished to come to any part of the region, he is welcomed,” he said.

But he added that his coming to Nyanza region is a waste of time and resources.

Buyu who is keen to dethrone the current MP Olago Aluoch of MDG party said the people of Nyanza region are very democratic and will listen to anybody who is ready to sell their manifesto.

“Don’t tell us that somebody has locked Nyanza region, come to us, talk to us, but know that our votes belong to Raila,” she said.

The last time Ruto visited Kisumu was in November last year where his motorcade was stoned at Kondele.

Cabinet Secretary for Education Professor George Magoha has noted that corruption is still a major problem In the education sector.

Magoha while launching a new CBC classroom at Kadika Girls in Migori said that if all corruption systems are checked the government can achieve value for money not only in education but in other sectors within the government.

He noted that it was important to focus on the future instead of dwelling on the past to move the country forward in terms of service delivery to the citizen.

Prof. Magoha added that by mapping schools on Geographic Location of Schools (GIS) and placing them on NEMIS platform corruption has greatly reduced through the face out of education cartels.

He said the two systems have enabled the Ministry of Education to know exactly the number of schools and students in those schools across the country.

Magoha assured the public that as long as he is the head of the education docket no corruption will see the light of the day. 

He stated the Ministry has saved billions of shillings under his watch and ensured that the cash is channelled towards improving the education sector in the country.

Permanent Secretary for Interior Karanja Kibicho has said that no administrative personnel has been asked or coerced to campaign for any political party.

Kibicho who addressed the Migori County Security Committee at Migori Teachers Training College said that the government is always neutral and its mandate is to serve the generation public.

The PS noted that the government will provide security and support to IEBC to ensure that it delivers free, fair and credible results.

He said that the government will ensure that voters have security and an enabling environment to make their willing full decision.

The official pointed out that the country had a requirement of about 70,000 police officers across the country to ensure that the general election is conducted in a secure environment.

Already police officers have been assigned to IEBCH through the gazettement notice to ensure security during the election is up to date.

Kibicho said that the Security Advisory Committee both at the National, Regional and County levels will work in unison to ensure peace prevails during the election.

He was pleased that Migori County had adequately prepared well for the forthcoming elections to ensure that IEBC carries its constitutional mandate.

Kibicho added that the government will give IEBC fully support to ensure elections are done according to the rules and regulations set by the election body.

He also emphasised that Migori was not a hotspot county and according to security briefs there was no report indicating that the county will witness any form of violence.

Giribe residents who have been living in far-flung, crime-prone corner of Suna West in Migori county now have better access to police, local chiefs and other national government administration offices, thanks to efforts by National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF) in building new police posts and refurbishing old ones. 

For a long time now, police and government administrators, such as chiefs, have been operating from dilapidated, archaic buildings mostly built during colonial times.

Masara however told the residents to vote responsibly to foster development in the region.