Hoteliers and other business operators in Homa Bay Town have begun reaping from the forthcoming Devolution Conference, which is scheduled to take place from August 12 to 15, 2025 at Homa Bay High School.

According to the Council of Governors (CoG), the Devolution Conference is one of the most important tools to showcase devolution in Kenya.

Theme for this year’s devolution conference is ‘For the People, For Prosperity: Devolution as a Catalyst for Equity, Inclusion and Social Justice.’

Speaking after the steering committee’s meeting, Nyeri County Governor Mutati Kahiga, who is also the Vice Chairperson of CoG, stated that all preparations have been finalized for the event that is scheduled to take place next week in Homa Bay.

“Importantly, it serves as a platform for knowledge sharing to enhance the implementation of devolution in Kenya.  

“The conference will bring together state and non-state actors and is planned and guided by a multi-agency steering committee,” he said, adding that the membership of the committee includes the CoG and the Executive Office of the Deputy President.

Governor Kahiga emphasized that devolution is a catalyst for equity, inclusion, and social justice under the sub-theme of reengineering County Governments to accelerate development and close the socioeconomic gap.

Meanwhile, the hotel business is booming since accommodation rooms in almost all hotels in Homa Bay Town have been booked by the guests who will attend the conference.

A spot check by TV47 Digital across a number of hotels established that most of them increased their booking rates to reap big from the conference due to the high demand.

For instance, the manager of the three hotels in Homa Bay, Maurice Ouma, hailed the Devolution Conference for creating a conducive environment for business in the town.

“The devolution conference has given us a high demand for our hotel goods and services. We are getting a good number of customers as we approach the conference,” he said.

This year’s conference is aimed at assessing the extent to which devolution has promoted equity and equality in socioeconomic development and service delivery by comprehensively examining the successes and challenges therein.

The event is also meant for identifying strategies that can be employed by county governments to promote inclusion and social justice and particularly protection of the rights of marginalized and minority groups, the youth, women and Persons With Disabilities (PWDs).

During the conference, the delegates will identify collaborative strategies that promote good governance, transparency, and accountability in governance in order to build public trust and enhance service delivery.

At the same time, participants shall discuss innovative approaches that can accelerate economic growth at the local level in order to close the socio-economic divide.