Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has defended the county’s poor road network after an online outcry over images of roads along the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor exposed during the Linda Mwananchi tour on Sunday.
In a statement on Monday, Wanga said the condition of the roads was not evidence of a community that had failed, but a reflection of decades of underinvestment and historical marginalisation.
“The dust on the Mbita–Sindo–Kiabuya–Sori corridor tells a story. But it is not the story of a people who have failed. It is the story of a region that has waited far too long for the infrastructure required to unlock its potential,” she said.
The governor said the images from the tour had highlighted challenges residents had endured for years, including poor access to markets and services and the high cost of doing business.
“For the people who live along these roads, however, their condition is no joke; it is a daily reality that shapes access to markets and services, the cost of doing business, and the pace at which communities can develop,” she said.
Wanga blamed successive administrations for failing to adequately address the region’s infrastructure deficit, saying the problem dated back to independence.
She cited the 74km Mbita road as an example, saying it was first awarded in 2016 but stalled after only 7km had been completed. It was re-awarded in 2020, she said, before works resumed and gained momentum in recent years.
The national government has separately reported progress on the road, with more than 17km completed to bitumen standards by June and construction continuing around Sindo and Kiabuya.
Wanga, however, said the current administration had accelerated infrastructure development in Homa Bay since 2024,urging residents not to be embarrassed by the condition of the roads or the criticism generated by the Linda Mwananchi tour.
“The dust is real. The historical deficit is real. But so is the transformation now underway,” she said. “Beyond the dust lies the Homa Bay we have always deserved.”
Her statement follows an online outcry over the state of roads after the Linda Mwananchi caravan encountered roadblocks on Sunday and was forced to use alternative routes.
Live footage from the tour drew widespread attention to roads in parts of Homa Bay, with some Kenyans comparing the conditions to roads in Afghanistan and Yemen and questioning the state of infrastructure in the county