President Uhuru Kenyatta arrived in Kisumu for this big conference which sets a new page for Kenya and the region.
Africans like the rest of the world are living in the urban centers of their countries. It is a big challenge for our countries and leaders to make urban life better for their citizens and it starts with jobs. This conference in Kisumu is a big part of Kenya being at the center of urban development in Africa and the world.
My home of birth is 45 minutes from Kisumu City by Car or motorbike. My family lives and works all over Kisumu City and the neighborhoods. I argue with my nephew all the time because he works in Kisumu and rides his bike to work and I tell him it is dangerous and he says he is safer on his bike than in a matatu. Never mind that he broke his leg on that bike a few months ago.
The other nephew is a lecturer at a polytechnic in Kisumu and he doesn’t have to ride back and forth. So we all sort of live in or around Kisumu City.
This conference is big and many of us give Prof. Ayang’ Nyong’o credit for working so hard as governor to make Kisumu City and County what it is today. Kisumu as a lakeside city is very unique in our country and region. There are endless possibilities to make Kisumu and the region an economic powerhouse in our country.
Hospitality in Kisumu is first class. They have some of the best hotels, restaurants, and eating places anywhere in the world. I used to go crazy about Lwang’ni hotels but that can be redone.
Kisumu has some amazing places and the potential is incredible which means all we need is to invest in the area and Kenyans will do that.
And one more thing. The most hard-working cabinet in the Uhuru government is Eugene Wamalwa. Whenever you see him and hear about him it is because he is doing something for the country. Kenya is going to need him in the next government.
Keep the cities and the country going. Kenya is always better with all of us working together. Now is the best time to do that. And the nation will live to it as never before.
Adongo Ogony is a Human Rights Activist and a Writer who lives in Toronto, Canada
