Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi held a closed-door breakfast meeting with senior professionals from Siaya County on Saturday during which he told them to use their positions in government to deliver development.

Wandayi also told them to help steer the region through what he termed a political transition by supporting President William Ruto.

The session in Kisumu drew prominent figures from Siaya serving in national government agencies, among them Attorney-General Dorcas Oduor, MPs Elisha Odhiambo (Gem) and Gideon Ochanda (Bondo) and former Police Spokesman Charles Owino.

Others who attended hold senior positions in state corporations, ministries and the private sector.

Wandayi told the officials that their presence in government should translate into tangible impact both nationally and at home. He argued that even officers who are not highly ranked can unlock major development gains if they apply their influence strategically.

He cited his own experience as a three-term MP, recalling how relatively junior civil servants had helped execute projects such as the TTI in Ugenya – now hosting more than 1,500 students – and the NYS unit in Ogoni.

“Apart from executing your formal mandate, you can also create some impact on our people in one way or another,” he said.

The cabinet secretary observed that public service delivery and politics were intertwined, adding that close collaboration between technocrats and elected leaders was essential in ensuring smoother implementation of government programmes.

He said national government officers have a moral duty to communicate ongoing projects to residents. He warned that many initiatives remain unknown because those responsible do not publicise them.

Wandayi pointed to what he described as unprecedented investment in Siaya under the Kenya Kwanza administration, singling out a Ksh1.7 billion rural electrification allocation for the last financial year, supplemented with Ksh600 million funding from the African Development Bank financing.

“Put together, about Ksh2.3 billion is going into Siaya County alone to extend electricity to households,” he said. He said similar projects were underway across the region.

The cabinet secretary said the breakfast meetings will become routine to ensure stronger coordination among Siaya-born senior officers serving in Nairobi. He also addressed the political environment in Nyanza following the recent death of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, saying the region was going through a period of transition.

Wandayi reminded the officials that they serve under President William Ruto, who appointed them, and urged them to support his re-election to sustain government presence and influence in Siaya.

He said Odinga’s rapprochement with President Ruto before his death had opened doors for development in the region, which he argued should be protected and expanded.

“It should be in our interest, as officers working in the national government, to help guide our people so that we don’t just stay in government now but we continue being in government even beyond the next elections,” he said.

Wandayi said he expects more such engagements in Kisumu and elsewhere as the officials work to align development priorities with political messaging in Siaya. A Tell Media / KNA report / By Chris Mahandara