Residents of Homa Bay County have called for increased funding for development projects and the revival of stalled initiatives during a public participation forum on the 2026/2027 national budget estimates.
The forum was spearheaded by the Budget and Appropriations Committee of the National Assembly and chaired by Ugenya MP, David Ouma Ochieng at Orero Boys High School, bringing together residents from various constituencies in the county.
The residents submitted their views outlining projects they want prioritised in the upcoming financial year’s budget.
They urged the government to invest more in girls’ education, saying it would promote women empowerment and nurture future female leaders.
The members of the public highlighted the shortage of girls’ secondary schools in several wards and called for increased support for the existing girls’ schools.
Concerns were also raised over the allocation of funds to cotton farming and ginnery projects without corresponding investment in irrigation infrastructure.
“You are giving money for cotton, but there is no dam to support irrigation. Without water, the ginnery project will stall like many other stalled projects we already have,” said one resident.
The forum saw the attendance of the Kisumu Woman Representative Ruth Odinga, a committee member and Rangwe MP Lilian Gogo, the host and officers from the National Government Administration (NGAOs).
“The people want more emancipation of women through education so that we can create women leaders of tomorrow,” said Gogo.
Road infrastructure also emerged as a major concern, with participants arguing that some projects receive insufficient funding, making completion difficult.
The residents further urged the government to prioritize the completion of ongoing projects before launching new ones.
Ugenya MP said public participation is a constitutional requirement aimed at ensuring members of the public contribute to decisions on public expenditure.
“There are roads stretching up to 30 kilometres but allocated Sh200 million, while others receive as little as Sh70 million. The public wants projects that are started to be completed,” he said.
Residents further proposed investment in countywide projects such as fish processing factories, sewerage systems and water supply networks, arguing that such initiatives would have wider economic benefits for the county.
Ochieng noted that many of the concerns raised had already been factored into the proposed budget estimates and assured residents that implementation would follow once the budget is approved.
“The people know what they want. We came here to hear from Homa Bay residents on the cross-cutting projects they want captured in this budget,” he said.
By Sitna Omar
