The Agricultural Society of Kenya (ASK) Kisumu regional show opens its doors on Wednesday after a three-year break occasioned by the Covid-19 pandemic.
A pre-show event is expected to be held at the Mamboleo show grounds on Monday ahead of the official opening of the show at the same venue on Wednesday.
According to the show’s Chief Steward Rose Omondi, over 150 exhibitors have confirmed participation in the event which was last held in 2019.
The exhibitors drawn from Kenya, Uganda and Tanzania, she added, are set to showcase various products, technologies and services during the five days event.
Speaking during the ASK regional show harvest Sunday, Omondi urged showgoers to turn up in large numbers to learn from the exhibitions and share ideas from different sectors.
Kisumu Acting County Commissioner Hussein Alassow Hussein said adequate security measures have been put in place to ensure that the event runs smoothly.
Even though the opening coincides with the planned anti-government protests called by the Azimio coalition, Hussein said security officers have been deployed to ensure that the show is not interrupted.
The show, he said, was of immense benefit to the county and will bring in revenue asking the local political leadership to prevail upon their supporters to remain peaceful during and after the event.
“We want to make an appeal to the political leadership of Kisumu County to prevail upon the youth and their supporters to maintain peace so that we can have a successful event,” he said.
Last week’s protests turned violent resulting in the death of four people and left several others nursing injuries.
The County Commissioner asked the youth to refrain from violence and maintain peace to avoid scaring away investors.
“I have received so many calls from people in Nairobi, Mombasa and other parts of the country who want to come to the show and I have assured them that it will be peaceful,” he said.
