Kisumu Deputy Governor, Dr. Mathew Owili, has declared his intention to vie for the Kisumu gubernatorial office in 2027.
Dr. Owili who has deputized the current Governor, Prof. Peter Anyang` Nyong`o, in his two terms, unveiled a proposed development agenda anchored on decentralised service delivery, healthcare, infrastructure and economic empowerment as he prepares to bid for the county’s top seat in the 2027 General Election.
Speaking during a media breakfast at a Kisumu Hotel, Thursday, Owili said the proposed “Kisumu Promise: Building on the Foundations, Safeguarding Kisumu’s future” agenda would seek to consolidate gains made since 2017 and extend development to the grassroots.
Owili said the blueprint was still undergoing consultations and would be presented to residents at a later date, as he seeks to succeed his boss, whose two terms end next year.
He said his proposed Administration would be guided by three principles, a government that listens, delivers and remains accountable to the people.
“We believe leadership is measured not by the promises that people make, but by the lives it transforms,” Owili said.
A key pillar of the proposed agenda is decentralisation, with Owili proposing the establishment of Village Councils and Village Administrators, in every village to bring County services closer to residents.
He said the structures would give communities a greater role in planning and budgeting while enabling residents to monitor development projects from inception to completion.
On healthcare, Owili proposed upgrading health facilities across the county’s sub-counties, improving staffing and equipment and ensuring consistent availability of essential medicines in the health facilities.
He said his Administration would strengthen maternal, child, emergency, mental health and community healthcare services, while introducing social protection and medical cover for indigent households.
Owili also proposed elevating Kisumu County Referral Hospital into a premier healthcare facility and strengthening the capacity of County Village Healthcare Promoters.
On infrastructure, he pledged to improve rural roads, drainage and connectivity, particularly routes linking farms, beaches, schools and trading centres.
The Agenda also proposes solar-powered lighting in markets, streets and public spaces, including floodlighting of market centres across the county.
Agriculture and fisheries are also prioritised, with proposals to expand extension services, subsidise seeds and fertiliser, promote mechanisation and value addition and improve farmers’ access to markets.
For the fisheries sector which is the mainstay of the economy of the county, Owili proposed that he will complete fish landing sites and investing in cold storage and processing facilities while strengthening Beach Management Units to support the county’s blue economy.
The proposed agenda further targets young people through expanded vocational and digital skills training, village-level digital hubs, support for youth-owned enterprises and increased apprenticeship and internship opportunities.
He promised that women and small businesses would benefit from revolving funds, improved access to SACCOs, digital finance and insurance, as well as proposed One-Stop Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs), Support Centres offering assistance on registration, licensing, taxation, compliance and access to financing.
Under the proposed “Buy Kisumu, Build Kisumu” initiative, Owili said the County would prioritise locally produced goods and services in public procurement to stimulate local enterprise and manufacturing.
Water, sanitation and urban development also feature prominently, with proposals to fast-track pipeline and sewer extensions, particularly in informal settlements, improve drainage and strengthen waste management.
In education, Owili proposed improving Early Childhood Development Centres (ECDCs)ECDE facilities, equipping Vocational Training Centres, ensuring timely bursaries and scholarships and strengthening links between education, technology, sports and employment.
On governance, he pledged greater transparency through publication of county projects, budgets and implementation timelines.
He also proposed audits of stalled projects, measures to reduce wastage and efforts to strengthen the County’s own-source revenue.
Under the “Safeguarding the Gains” component of the agenda, Owili said he would prioritise completion of ongoing projects started by his predecessors and pursue new investments.
Among the projects identified are the revitalisation of Kisumu Port, completion of the 30-kilometre Lakeside Promenade (walkway), establishment of Special Economic Zones and acceleration of urban renewal programmes, including Kenya Informal Settlements Improvement Project (KISIP).
He also proposed completion and operationalisation of five fish landing sites, a Comprehensive Cancer Centre and the Med Aditus (access to medicines) Pharmaceutical Manufacturing Plant.
Owili said he would lobby for the construction of the Kisumu-Malaba Standard Gauge Railway to improve regional connectivity and trade, while continuing investment in specialised healthcare and digital health infrastructure.
He also identified completion of the Sh.1 billion Wema Gardens housing project in Riat as part of efforts to position Kisumu as an attractive investment destination.
Reflecting on the county’s development trajectory since 2017, Owili said the administration led by Prof. Nyong’o had sought to reposition Kisumu as a modern, inclusive and investment-friendly county.
He said Kisumu had for decades remained a perennial underachiever despite its potential, but had since witnessed visible transformation.
Owili said his proposed agenda was informed by his nine years of working alongside Nyong’o and lessons drawn from the administration’s successes and challenges.
“My commitment is simple: to build on the foundations laid by Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o and to protect the development vision inspired by our departed icon and national statesman, the late Raila Odinga,” he said in the manifesto.
He said his bid would not seek to alter the County’s development direction, but sustain momentum and complete ongoing projects.
“This is not about changing course. It is about completing the journey and taking Kisumu to the next level with leadership anchored on integrity, accountability, service and commitment,” he said.
“You are not merely reporters of events; you are custodians of our country’s history,” he said.
As the 2027 political season approaches, Owili urged the media to scrutinise political claims and hold leaders accountable, saying journalists had a responsibility to provide residents with verified information to guide their choices.
The proposed agenda builds on the 10-point “Tich Tire” (work contnues) manifesto that guided the Nyong’o administration after it took office in 2017.
The Manifesto prioritised agriculture and agribusiness, healthcare and a clean environment, physical infrastructure, skills development and innovation, lakefront development, housing, sports and culture, industrialisation and ICT, tourism, as well as devolved governance, revenue generation and accountability.
Owili’s proposed #ChiengJamondo vision retains several of these priorities while introducing new measures aimed at deepening grassroots participation and economic empowerment.
These include Village Councils and Administrators, social protection for indigent households, village-level digital hubs, support for youth enterprises, stronger assistance to farmers and fisher folk, and the “Buy Kisumu, Build Kisumu” initiative, with Owili presenting the blueprint as a continuation of the county’s development trajectory rather than a change of course.
Owili, a medical doctor by profession, entered elective politics in 2017, when he became the running mate of Prof. Anyang’ Nyong’o in the Kisumu gubernatorial contest.
Owili has served as Deputy Governor since 2017 under Governor Nyong’o, and is positioning himself as a continuity candidate as the governor’s second and final term approaches its end in 2027.
His proposed agenda, therefore, places emphasis on completing ongoing projects, while extending development to areas he says remain underserved.
The blueprint builds on the development platform through which the Nyong’o administration assumed office in 2017, with Owili arguing that Kisumu has since recorded progress in infrastructure, healthcare, water and investment.
However, the proposed agenda also introduces new priorities, including village-level governance structures, expanded social protection, digital hubs and the “Buy Kisumu, Build Kisumu” initiative.
Owili joins a crowded field of gubernatorial contestants who include; Kisumu Senator Prof. Tom Odhiambo Ojienda, Kisumu Central MP Joshua Odongo Oron and Kisumu West MP; Rosa Akinyi Buyu among others who have already declared their interest in the seat as Prof. Nyong`o serves his second and final term.
By Mabel Keya- Shikuku Dorothy Pamella
