Departments on each other’s throats in Nyamira

Nyamira county government service delivery in under threat unless quick intervention are made to address the emerging sharp divisive differences which have split  members of the county executive committee into two factions.
The same wrangles have extended to the county administrators and county workers involved in the implementation of projects in the county thus posing a big threat in the development of the county.
Investigations established that one faction is led by the county secretary Eric Aori and the other is led by the county executive committee member  in charge of finance and Planning John Omanwa.
In the Onchana camp, he is backed by executive members Kefa Osoro  of roads, Peris Mongare, agriculture, Richard Mareri, Lands and Housing and Kefa Mocheche, personal assistant to governor John Nyagarama while those in Omanwa camp includes Jackline Kemunto, finance chief officer and Ken Omwoma, county economic adviser.
The differences between the two camps have become too serious to the extent of not shaking hands of one another or see eye to eye. Members of the public are now questioning how development of the county can be realised when those given the responsibility of steering it to prosperity were not working together as a team.
They have petitioned Governor John Nyagarama to sack all those involved in the derailment of development projects in his government or risk the wrath of the area residents come the next general elections or through impeachment. The bone of contention revolves around the criteria used to share the millions of shillings which the two factions have looted from the county government coffers.
It has also come out clear that the two factions are now competing among themselves as who was making more personal investment with the use of the looted funds at the expense of the development of the county.
Following the wrangles, the ward and subcounty administrators have also been subjected to untold suffering by being denied facilitation fee which could enable them to inspect the progress of the projects being worked upon.
The administrators who talked to us bitterly recounted how the fights over money at the county headquarters were impacting negatively on the county in terms of development.
The results of the fights in the county came out in the open last week when the county was not ranked as one of the best performing counties in the country.
The ranking came out as Governor Nyagarama was on an official duty in Israel. Perturbed by the wrangles and bad relationship among the county government top officers, Dominic Matoke who is a political adviser to the governor said that the infightings have undermined the popularity of the governor due to poor development. The recent ugly incident surrounding the mess of county finances emerged during the governor’s devolution conference in Kisumu.