As Kakamega prepares to host the fifth devolution conference, the town is a beehive of activity and traders are repainting their premises, ready to receive the guests.
The county government has been busy repairing roads, creating new parking areas and getting rid of stalls and unwanted structures in the town and along the Kisumu-Kakamega-Webuye highway in readiness for the event.
Governor Wycliffe Oparanya said at least 6,000 delegates will arrive in the town, starting from today.
Oparanya has rallied local traders to take advantage of the opportunities offered by the conference.
He said small-scale businesses should showcase and sell their products to the visitors during the four-day event.
“Those in the hospitality industry, vegetable vendors, fish mongers and dairy farmers must prepare to make money during the conference because we shall have many visitors,” the governor said.
He said the event would not only translate into economic gains but also help residents develop and establish networks and markets for their produce.
Boda boda riders have been instructed to be neat and disciplined in order to be allowed to ferry passengers during the conference.
“County Commissioner Jaldesa Abdulrizzak demanded that we observe cleanliness and traffic regulations or we will not be allowed to offer transport services to the visitors,” Moses Zakayo, a boda boda operator, said.
Kenya Power Company has also been busy replacing old transformers after one exploded in the CBD recently. A pre-devolution conference was held at Masinde Muliro University yesterday, and a handful of governors and politicians were in attendance.
Most delegates will be accommodated in Kakamega, Busia, Kisumu and Bungoma counties due to stretched accommodation facilities in the county.
The conference will focus on the Jubilee administration’s Big Four agenda, the Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa, said.
He added that they were banking on a good relationship between the national and county governments to make the event a success.
The conference comes at a time when governors are at logger heads with the National Treasury over piecemeal release of devolved funds and proposal to slash the allocation.
