Homa Bay's incoming CECM for governance has held talks with FHNED, a Chinese energy, water and utility company in Jiangsu, China, opening discussions on a partnership that could transform water access, sanitation, and irrigation across the county and the wider Lake Region.
Hon. Isaac Ongiri attended the meeting on Tuesday and presented seven specific areas for collaboration, anchored on Homa Bay's position as a lakeside county on the shores of Lake Victoria with high water demand but unmet supply.
Among the proposals was an offer to accommodate FHNED at the Homa Bay Industrial Park as a regional distribution and operations base, with land-based incentives subject to required approvals. Ongiri also proposed investment in a water treatment and mass fresh water production facility, a direct response to the problems facing communities living beside the world's second largest fresh water lake but lacking reliable access to clean water.
He further proposed a regional water supply model covering the 14 counties of the Lake Region Economic Bloc, where water scarcity and high costs remain an economic constraint, with Homa Bay as the demonstration site for a scalable model extensible across the bloc.
Additional proposals included sewage and sanitation systems for county municipalities, lake-water reticulation for irrigation, water transport connectivity, and waterfront tourism infrastructure development.
"Homa Bay is ready for partnership, ready for innovation, and ready for serious investment," Ongiri said, positioning the county as a gateway for Chinese investors seeking entry into the East African market.
The meeting formed part of Ongiri's broader mission as CECM to cultivate local and international partnerships that can unlock investment in critical sectors such as water infrastructure and stimulate economic growth.
