Statement on the Successful Hosting and Conclusion of the 2026 CAC African Road Cycling Championships: Turning Kisumu’s Sporting Excellence into Economic Opportunity. #TichTire

Best Wishes To All 2026 National Examinations Candidates.

Wishing all Kenyans a happy and memorable Mashujaa Day.

As we look forward to the CAC Africa Road Cycling Championship, from 21st to 25th October 2026, I warmly welcome cyclists, officials, teams, media and visitors from across our great continent to Kisumu, the pride of the Lake Region! Kisumu is ready to receive Africa! To the competitors, come ready to push your limits, and showcase the incredible talent, resilience, and sporting spirit that define our continent. May the best win! Beyond the race, I invite you to experience Kisumu to the maximum. Enjoy the serenity of our beautiful lakeside city, the warmth of our hospitality, the richness of our opportunities, and the humanity of our people. I promise you more than a championship but a home away from your home. Kisumu is ready to give you an unforgettable experience. Warwakou! Karibu Kisumu! #CACAfricaRoadCyclingChampionship2026

Today, I have another long success story to share with you. Consider cancer. In Kenya, cancer is the third leading cause of death. About 25,000 Kenyans lose their lives to cancer every year, and an estimated 16,500 of these deaths are women. Breast cancer alone accounts for more than 23% of cancer diagnoses among Kenyan women. Behind these numbers are mothers, sisters, daughters, wives and families whose lives are permanently changed. This is why the journey of administering the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine in Kisumu County matters to us. When I look at our progress this far, I see people whose future can be different because we chose to prevent a disease before it could threaten their lives. In 2022, only 16% of eligible girls in Kisumu had received the HPV vaccine.By August 2026, we had reached 90% - for us, a major public-health intervention. Look at Rwanda and you will see what is possible when political leadership, health workers, schools and communities move in the same direction. Rwanda achieved 93.23% coverage when it introduced its national HPV vaccination programme in 2011. Its school-based approach reached more than 93% of eligible girls, overcoming the geographical and economic barriers that most times prevent children in developing countries from accessing preventive healthcare. Today, evidence from Rwanda shows that this sustained approach has already more than halved high-risk HPV prevalence among young women. Rwanda is positioning itself to potentially become the first African country to eliminate cervical cancer. We too can. It is possible. We have worked with parents, parents’ associations, headteachers and the Ministry of Education. And our health teams did more than vaccinate. They connected children and families to nutrition services, HIV services, adolescent health services and disability assessments. HPV vaccination cannot be reduced to another health statistic because in Kisumu, we have seen too many mothers, sisters and daughters lost to cancer. We have seen the empty spaces it leaves in families. For me, the real achievement will be measured years from now when fewer women hear the words “cervical cancer” and fewer families have to bury their mothers, sisters and daughters because of a disease we had the knowledge and means to prevent. We are not simply vaccinating girls, but trying to protecting a generation. We shall overcome! #TichTire

I attended and talked to the youth during the 2nd Western Region Youth Agribusiness Conference at Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu, urging stronger systems that connect young people to finance, technology, skills, markets and investment. We cannot tell a young person to take up agriculture and leave them with a jembe, a bag of seed and a prayer for rain. That is not an agribusiness strategy. We commit, in Kisumu, to ensuring that our young people participate in the higher-value stages of the food chain, from production to processing, branding and distribution. They are entrepreneurs, innovators and leaders today, and we must create an economy in which they can build their future here. #TichTire

To bring essential services like health care closer to our people, as I was saying, we understood that the task was never just to build more hospitals, because resources are never enough anyway. We thought of a more fundamental ambition beyond brick and mortar: build a health system that reaches people where they live, detects illness early, connects families to care, and prevents conditions that can be treated early from becoming emergencies. Community health remains at the heart of our investment in this. Over the last five years, the County Government of Kisumu, through the Department of Medical Services, Public Health and Sanitation, has invested KSh600 million in community health programmes; supporting 2,943 Community Health Promoters (CHPs) across 291 Community Health Units and equipping them with digital tools through the electronic Community Health Information System (eCHIS). Through this digital community outreach, 330,678 people in Kisumu have been registered, with 206,151 now regularly receiving services at community level. To that person who can afford transport and/or treatment at a local private hospital, these numbers may mean nothing or be unimpactful. But in reality, behind these numbers is a simple but profound shift in how government delivers healthcare: taking services to the household rather than waiting for the household to find its way to a facility. Our CHPs are registering families, identifying pregnant women and children at risk, providing basic services, promoting prevention and making referrals when specialised care is required. Between 2021 and 2025, our CHPs made 11.48 million household visits and referred 71,341 pregnant women for antenatal and other maternal health services. The results: Antenatal care utilisation has increased by 83%. Maternal mortality has declined from 495 to 343 deaths per 100,000 live births, while under-five mortality has fallen from 67 to 37 deaths per 1,000 live births! During the same period, our CHPs managed 264,032 malaria cases among children under five, 242,514 cases among older patients, and 90,530 cases of diarrhoea using Zinc and Oral Rehydration Salts (ORS). Our community-led approach also shaped Kisumu’s Marwa Social Health Insurance, which supported more than 30,000 vulnerable residents. The systems and experience developed through Marwa subsequently contributed to its onboarding into the national Social Health Authority framework. This is the health system we have been building in Kisumu: not one that waits for citizens to come looking for government, but one that takes government to the people. Because the true measure of a health system is not only the number of hospitals we build, but how early we reach a mother, how quickly we identify a sick child, and how effectively we protect a family from an illness becoming a crisis. Healthcare ought to begin where people live. #TichTire

Let me tell you, among the central promises we made as an Administration was to bring essential services like health closer to the people. We have sought to give that promise practical meaning through sustained investment in infrastructure, human resources and specialised care. The story of Pap Onditi Sub-County Hospital is one good example of what we have achieved. When we opened the maternity and theatre complex in 2024, we were investing in more than buildings and equipment. We were creating the capacity to provide specialised maternal and surgical care closer to the people of Nyakach and the wider region. The first operation performed at the facility was a Caesarean section. Today, Pap Onditi has grown into a functioning Level 4 hospital, performing an average of 25 Caesarean sections every month. In 2025, the hospital performed 268 Caesarean sections. This year alone, it has already performed 246. In addition, an average of 10 other major surgical procedures are carried out every month, including general surgical and gynaecological procedures. These numbers matter because behind every procedure is a mother, a child or a patient who no longer has to travel to Kisumu City to access essential care. More importantly, maternal referrals have fallen sharply. Before the facility became operational, an average of 20 maternal cases were referred every month. Today, that number is about five. Referrals fell from 113 in 2024 to 46 in 2025, and stood at 29 by September 2026. Pap Onditi now runs specialist clinics supported by a dedicated specialist gynaecologist and specialist general surgeon, alongside four medical officers trained by the County Government of Kisumu. The hospital has also been fully equipped with solar power, strengthening the reliability and continuity of services. Ultimately, the value of these investments is not measured only in buildings, equipment or statistics. It is measured in the lives they touch. Every safe delivery. Every successful operation. Every patient treated closer to home. That is where public investment acquires its true meaning. This is what we promised the people of Kisumu: to bring essential health services closer to them and to turn public resources into better, healthier lives. That is the legacy we are building in Kisumu. #TichTire

Today, 2nd October, I accompanied by Mama Kisumu - Dorothy Nyong'o, called on Mama Ida Odinga at her home in Bondo. It is one year since my brother, friend and leader Raila Odinga departed this world, and the pain of that loss remains heavy. So heavy on my heart, and heavy on the soul of our nation. Raila was to me more than a comrade. He was a brother in struggle, a friend in purpose, and a partner in destiny. We walked many roads together, suffered many nights together for Kenya for whose cause we both cherished dearly. To visit Mama Ida is to remember that grief shared is grief softened. But it is also to remember that a man like Raila does not die. He lives in every struggle for justice, in every voice raised against tyranny, in every Kenyan who refuses to accept that things must remain as they are. The world must learn from what Raila stood for — dignity, sacrifice, and an unbreakable faith in the people. And it must learn from what he suffered for, because his suffering was never for himself only, but for all of us. That, in the end, is how we keep him alive: not in mourning alone, but in the courage to continue what he began. Rest well, Tinga. The work goes on.

Kisumu is ready to take centre stage as Africa’s biggest cycling showdown rolls into the city. The 2026 CAC Road Cycling African Championships will take place from 21st to 25th October. #TichTire

AFRICA COMES TO KISUMU! My dear people of Kisumu, and indeed all lovers of sport across our great continent, from the 21st to the 25th of October 2026, the Confederation of African Cycling Championship rolls into Kisumu County and what a grand arrival it shall be! More than 30 African nations will send over 300 elite competitors to ‘cycle it out’ across 15 thrilling race categories, with the action transmitted LIVE across Kenya and to the entire world! Let me tell you what this truly means for us: Our hotels, restaurants, and hospitality sectors will bloom!. Jobs and networking opportunities for our young people, from event management to transport, catering, security, and beyond. We project over 1.8 million social media impressions and close to 90,000 engagements. Kisumu's name shining on the global stage like never before! This is not just a race. This is an economic injection into our county's veins. This is tourism reborn. This is Kisumu to the World! And YOU, mwananchi, are not left out! A social fun ride will be open to all. Dust off that bicycle, bring your family, your friends, your neighbours. Let us ride together as one county, one people, one destiny. My heartfelt gratitude goes to the Kenya Cycling Federation for choosing Kisumu and trusting Dala to host Africa. Asanteni sana! The world is coming. Let us welcome them the Kisumu way with warmth, pride and unstoppable energy! #TichTire

I received Avaia Events, the organisers of the Fisherman's Dala Experience slated for 3rd October in Kisumu. I appreciated their initiative in bringing together the artistry, music, culture and heritage of the Lake Region. More than entertainment, this is about our creative economy, giving our artists, designers, fashion practitioners, storytellers and young creatives a platform to reach wider audiences, earn a living and build enterprises. This aligns with our Building the Future manifesto, which recognises talent development and the creative industry as genuine tools for wealth creation and youth empowerment. Karibuni Kisumu for this extravaganza!

Ten years ago, we lost 66 children under five for every 1,000 born in a year. Today, that number stands at 37. That progress belongs to every health worker, every parent and every partner who stood with us. But we will not rest. UNICEF's target is 25 per 1,000 and every child's life matters. That is why I joined our development partners to think together on the Child Nutrition Fund Programme, supported by UNICEF and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, bringing an initial Ksh.10 million investment in its first year, with room to grow. This programme, led by our Department of Public Health and Medical Services, will strengthen community child nutrition interventions and health worker training to enable our newborns grow up well-nourished, stronger, healthier, and ready to learn. CECMs — Dr. Greg Ganda (Health), Kenneth Onyango (Agriculture), Beatrice Wadiaga (Gender) and Mwalimu John Awiti (Education), alongside CHAMPS, Ramogi Institute of Advanced Technology and Maseno University, whose research and innovation will guide our work and measure our results joined in the brainstorming. To invest in our children's nutrition is to invest in the future of Kisumu County itself. Together, we will get to 25 and beyond. #TichTire

I led a part of the County leadership in an informal but deeply valuable engagement with the conventional media in Kisumu, on how government and the press can better serve our people, together. When some of us were pushing for democracy, we envisaged a free media that would be professional and is the audit trail of good governance. For our citizens to know how public resources are used and how our programmes are implemented, the media must have accurate access to information. That is not a favour from government, but a mark of an open and accountable society. The session we had this morning gave the County Executive a rare chance to listen to and to take in the media's feedback on the workings of the County Government of Kisumu, our development agenda, and where we can do better. Constructive dialogue, transparency and honest communication remain the foundation of the relationship we are building with both the press and the public. Our commitment stands, that the channels of communication stay open. To the fourth estate, thank you and feel free to critique us. #TichTire

We did not flag off tools; we flagged off opportunities I flagged off training equipment worth KSh 20 million, destined for our Vocational Training Centres across the County. This is not a one-off gesture, but a deliberate, budgeted and institutionalised investment, building on the KSh 18 million we deployed last year to equip 28 VTCs across all our wards. The evidence of what this approach delivers is already before us as our VTC network has grown from 28 to 30 centres, with St. Michael Mariwa in Koru-Muhoroni and Sang'oro in West Nyakach as the latest additions. More than 6,500 young men and women are acquiring practical skills in our centres, in 11 different disciplines, including electrical, welding, tailoring, masonry, ICT, agripreneurship, plumbing, among others. These are skills they can convert directly into income. Whereas formal employment opportunities are shrinking everywhere in the world, the market for skilled hands has never been stronger. A trained welder, a competent electrician, a disciplined agripreneur, and a confident ICT technician are the kind of trades that will never lack honourable earnings. Opportunity follows skill. That is why I appeal to you to enroll your sons and daughters in our VTCs where my Government offers a 15,000/= subsidy per student. Even our partners like Pratham International, Comundo, CICan, KBEST, Tools to Work, Ujima, SHOFCO and NGAAF appreciate the value in this endeavor and have chosen to walk with my Government in this journey. To them, we eternally remain grateful. I say again, our future will not be built in boardrooms. It will be built in our workshops, garages, ICT hubs and farms — by the skilled hands of our own youth. Empower the County. Transform Kisumu. #TichTire

We need skilled hands to build the Kisumu we desire. Across Kenya, the construction industry is grappling with a shortage of skilled workers. Plumbers, masons, and electricians remain in short supply, and in 2017, the Kenya Federation of Master Builders estimated only about 2,000 trained registered artisans Kenya wide, compared with over 5,000 engineers and architects. Our housing deficit stands at over two million units, and Kisumu County's growth demands homes, roads and public facilities. How do we prepare our young people to seize this moment? Our answer is vocational training, firmly etched in our County development agenda, and we have expanded Vocational Training Centres across Kisumu, so that our youth can acquire practical skills that translate into employment, enterprise and livelihoods. At Akado Vocational Training Centre in Kisumu East Sub-County, we are developing Automotive Mechanics and Building & Construction as areas of specialisation. The automotive workshop is a working garage where trainees handle real vehicles and equipment, while County vehicles are serviced and repaired, exposing the trainees to real workplace demands. Akado and other VTCs spread out across Kisumu County, also support Jua Kali artisans through Recognition of Prior Learning, where those trained through apprenticeship and years of practice are assessed and formally certified. Our ambition does not end with training for existing jobs. We want Akado to become a hub for homegrown innovation, where young people develop solutions around motorcycles, tuk-tuks and emerging green technologies. In my Government, we believe that a skilled youth is a dignified youth. And it is their hands that will build the Kisumu we want. #TichTire

Such an honour to be a part of a three-day international memorial conference revering the late Prof. Bethwell Allan Ogot (1929–2025), at the Tom Mboya Labour College in Kisumu. Jointly organised by the Department of History, Archaeology and Political Studies of Kenyatta University and the Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA), the conference, themed "The Sands of Time: History, Method and Knowledge Production in Africa — The Indelible Footprints of Prof. Bethwell Allan Ogot" has drawn academics, historians and intellectuals from across Africa and the wider world. That such a constellation of minds has chosen to converge in Kisumu speaks volumes about the stature of the man we gather to honour. Prof. Ogot was a towering son of this nation and of our continent. Through works such as History of the Southern Luo, and through his stewardship of the UNESCO General History of Africa, Ogot rescued African history and restored it to its rightful owners. His footprints are indeed indelible on the sands of time. It falls upon us, the present and future generations, to walk in them, to keep asking the difficult questions and producing knowledge by Africans, for Africa, about Africa.