President William Ruto is today (Saturday) touring Siaya County for the first time since being elected the head of State and Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces.
This is a county that he did not even bother to campaign in until the expiry of the entire electioneering period.
He won the presidency nonetheless.
Siaya county is home to Raila Odinga, the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition, who was Ruto's main challenger in the August 9, 2022, presidential poll.
Specifically, the president is touring Asembo in the Rarieda constituency, a stone's throw from Raila's Opoda home in the neighbouring Bondo constituency.
Apart from the launch of a Jaramogi Oginga Odinga University of Science and Technology Blue Economy Research Hub in Miyandhe in Bondo constituency, the president's key event is at Asembo.
Asembo is home to Information Communication and Digital Economy Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.
The president is attending Owalo's thanksgiving and prayer ceremony since assuming office as a CS.
Perhaps you know Owalo who served as Raila's aide and campaign manager in 2013; he is no doubt the same Owalo who is now the ICT CS.
What about the Curriculum Vitae (CV)of this man who, by his own admission, is shy in nature? Attention on him.
The Star dug through his 21 years of experience as an economist, management consultant and strategy expert.
Owalo's core competency is in Macro and Micro- Economics; strategic planning; organizational restructuring; job evaluation and pay structure architecture.
He is also knowledgeable in performance management, management of strategic change; training needs assessment; organizational design; executive search selection and placement; human resource audit, market surveys and feasibility studies.
The grandson of the Nomiya Church founder Johana Owalo is currently a PhD candidate in Strategic Management at the University of Nairobi.
He is a holder of a master's degree in Business Administration (Human Resource Management) and a bachelor of arts (Hons) in Economics and Business Studies from Kenyatta University.
Owalo is a fellow at a professional body: the Institute of Human Resource Management and a former director of the Kenya School of Government.
He practices as the Managing Consultant of Eliud & Associates Management Consultants - an international management consultancy organization.
Owalo has designed over 50 strategic plans and aligned them to the Constitution of Kenya (2010), Kenya Vision 2030, the United Nation's Sustainable Development Goals, the African Union's Agenda 2064, and the East Africa Community's Vision 2050 among others.
He has also in the past designed strategic plans for the Lake Region Economic Bloc blueprint; Narok Kajiado Economic Bloc; Kenya National Bureau of Statistics, Mumias Sugar Company Limited; Kenya Highways Authority, among others/
The CS has done job evaluation, workload analysis and work redesign for the Kenya National Highways Authority, Kenya Forestry Research Institute and Egerton University's Tegemeo Institute.
He has consulted for the recruitment, selection and placement of Nzoia Sugar, the National Hospital Insurance Fund and the Kenya Bankers Association.
He has done skills audits and competency profiling for the Siaya county government, and the Ministries of Agriculture and Environment.
Owalo has also consulted for KenGEN, ministries of trade, labour, regional development and Kenya Pipeline Company, among others, on customer satisfaction.
He developed business plans for the Kenya National Highways Authority, Central Rift Valley Water Works Development Agenda, Lake Victoria South Water Services Board and Lake Victoria North Water Services Board.
Before launching his professional career, the CS was the Head Student of St. Mary's School Yala between 1988 and 1989.
He was the chairperson and player of the Pirates, a Kenyatta University Basketball Club, between 1992 and 1994.