Gladys Wanga unveils plan to transform Homa Bay to Cape Town status
By Cynthia Lodite, August 12, 2025Homa Bay County Governor Gladys Wanga has announced an ambitious vision to turn Homa Bay County into a premier tourist and investment destination, likening the transformation to that of Cape Town, South Africa.
Speaking during an interview with a local media house on Tuesday, August 12, 2025, in Homa Bay County, ahead of the Devolution Conference in the County, Wanga emphasised the county’s untapped potential in tourism, the blue economy, and urban development.
According to Wanga, Homa Bay County has the longest stretch of Lake Victoria, hence a better chance to transform the county through its long beach stretch.
“We are hoping to be the Cape Town of Kenya because we have the longest stretch of Lake Victoria, 80 per cent of Lake Victoria is in Homabay County, so we have the longest stretch of the beach,” Wanga stated.
She further declared her interest in transforming the county’s urban look while stating that she is remodeling Cape Town as a city, hoping that in the next decade, Homa Bay County will be declared a city.
“In another 10 years, we hope to be the city we are modelling after Cape Town as a city,” Wanga said.
Homa Bay restructuring plan
In addition, she has revealed plans by the county government to move current offices sitting along the lakefront to the upper part of the county, hence paving the way for proper hospitality infrastructure along the lakefront.
” Along the lake front, there were government offices, a small office carrying approximately 30 people sitting in 7 acres of land, the rest of the land has broken down vehicles,” Wanga said.
Similarly, Wanga has also announced that the newly built Homa Bay County Government Headquarters will be opened officially on Wednesday, August 13, 2025, by President William Ruto, a project she says was a move to clear off space along the Lakefront in readiness for a restructure of the land.
“One of the things we have done to be able to clear out the Lakefront for hospitality is to build a new County Government Headquarters, and this will be officially opened tomorrow by President William Ruto,” Wanga noted.
Similarly, she has announced plans are underway to give land to investors for leasing purposes ahead of rebuilding the hospitality industry along the Lakefront area.
“We are going to be offering some of this land as incentives, leasing it to investors who can do good facilities, so the lake front will be for hospitality, then in another decade we hope we can have Homabay city that resembles Cape Town,” Wanga noted.