By John Wesley Atetwe
(Nyanza’s New Dawn or Another Ilusion?)
For decades, Nyanza was the opposition corner. They told us we were forgotten. No projects, no appointments, just slogans and sidelines. Now the story is changing.
Since John Mbadi walked into the Treasury, the roads are getting repaired, long-abandoned projects are resurfacing, and there’s a quiet belief in the air: maybe, finally, “money sleeps at home.” Nyanza was being invited into national conversations again.
But in the same breath, we whisper; will it be any different?
Is this the beginning of a genuine new chapter, or just another chapter in the long book of political illusions?
Because history has taught us that when money comes, silence follows. Projects start but don’t finish, tenders rotate in circles, and the ordinary citizen remains outside the gates, only called in when there’s a launch to clap for.
John Mbadi walked into Parliament and presented the 2025/26 national budget. Kenya’s largest ever at Ksh 4.2 trillion. It was more than numbers; it promised supplies to schools, jobs to youth, health to the vulnerable, and hope to the neglected.
But a budget, no matter how large, is just a piece of paper until its promises land in the real world.
Yes, the stadium is moving. The roads are getting patched. Youth programs have posters across towns. But will our markets get clean water? Will our girls get the pads we were promised? Will bursaries arrive on time, or will children continue home because schools sent them away?
With debt rising and deficit now capped at 4.5% of GDP, the country isn’t just asking for development, it’s demanding accountability.
John Mbadi brings hope –yes- but hope without accountability is just a recycled speech. Nyanza doesn’t just need projects; it needs projects that complete. It needs funds that reach. It needs audits that count every coin.
This budget stands at a crossroads, a chance to rebuild trust. Projects must finish, not just begin. Funds should be tracked, not absorbed into faulty ledgers. Public participation shouldn’t end in applause; it should echo into audit reports, boardroom decisions, and service delivery.
Let the development come. We welcome it. But let citizen oversight walk beside it.
Let transparency sit at every table. Let youth and women track every shilling, from Nairobi Treasury corridors to the last village in Rarieda, Migori, or Nyando.
Because real governance doesn’t just announce, it answers.
It doesn’t just allocate, it delivers.
If Nyanza has finally found a seat at the table, it must now insist on being heard throughout the meal, because development is knocking, but accountability must answer the door.
