Busia Senator Okiya Omtatah has raised concerns about the delay in the opening of the Muluanda border point in Samia Sub-County, Busia County.

This development comes after the late President Mwai Kibaki declared Muluanda the third official Kenya-Uganda border crossing point in Busia County, a pledge which was reaffirmed by President William Ruto in 2023 and the Prime Cabinet Secretary, Hon. Musalia Mudavadi, in 2025.

However, the border point remains ungazetted and non-operational 16 years later despite its potential to boost customs revenue, create jobs, and improve cross-border services and infrastructure.

While seeking a statement from his home county assembly during the ongoing Senate Mashinani on Tuesday, October 7, 2025, the legislator decried the border post’s continued dormancy, stating that its continued non-operationalization is hurting Kenya’s trade position within the East African Community (EAC).

He tasked the Standing Committee on National Security, Defence, and Foreign Relations to account for the reasons for the non-implementation of the Presidential Directives of 2009 and 2023 and determine whether any budgetary allocations for the border point had been made since the 2009/2010 Financial Year.

“Mr Speaker, the National Security Committee should tell us the steps the government has taken to engage the Ugandan government regarding the boundary alignment and cross-border cooperation for the said border point. They should also explain the county-level planning or budgeting activities put in place to support roads, markets, or utilities around the point,” Omtatah said.

In the same breath, Senator Omtatah turned his attention to a major infrastructure undertaking, detailing his concerns about the proposed Lake Victoria Ring Road Project.

The project is a transformative 487-kilometre road network intended to traverse Busia, Siaya, Kisumu, Homa Bay, and Migori counties by crossing the Yala Swamp and encircling Lake Victoria.

First studied in the 1986-87 project, the road is envisioned to spur ecotourism, expand the blue economy through fishing and aquaculture, and open historically marginalised areas to trade and cross-border commerce with Uganda and Tanzania.

He urged the Roads Committee to look into the updated feasibility study and environmental realities of the project, the current estimated cost, funding sources, and implementation timeline, as well as the measures to safeguard the Yala swamp ecosystem.

“The Roads Committee should report to this House the extent of consultation with local communities and county governments, including mechanisms to ensure equitable sharing of economic benefits and public participation in any design changes,” said Omtatah.

Busia Green Park project confusion

The Busia Senator wrapped up by shining a spotlight on the irregularities surrounding the Busia Green Park Project, initially allocated Ksh8 million and later revised to Ksh6 million, which was intended to serve as the town’s sole public recreational space.

Despite its strategic role in urban beautification and environmental conservation, the site remains closed to the public, with kiosks now under construction, and county planning documents regarding the project are contradictory.

According to Omtatah, one document claims that the park is complete, while another states that no land has been secured, raising serious concerns over transparency, possible misappropriation of funds, and the risk of losing public land to private interests.

He tasked the Senate Standing Committee on Land, Environment, and Natural Resources to establish the rationale behind revising the budget allocation and determine whether public participation and stakeholder consultations were conducted.