Kenya's Most Authoritative Political Newspaper

Citizen Weekly

Sunday 16 November 2014

VIHIGA MPS IN SILENT WAR WITH CLAIMS OF SABOTAGE

Luanda MP Chris Omulele has denied allegations by two members of Vihiga county assembly that he has launched a political fight against Vihiga governor Moses Akaranga.
The MP has reportedly secretly been accusing his Emuhaya counterpart Wilbur Otichillo of undermining him and for being the force behind a move by MCA Tom Atingo to oppose him come 2017. Atingo is a close ally of Otichillo. He served as the chairman of his constituency development fund and he is said to be geared up to run for the parliamentary seat. Omulele, months ago, skipped Otichillo’s function at Nairobi’s Sagret Hotel aimed at strategising how the Banyore could field one candidate for governorship.
However, it is claimed Atingo has been receiving handouts from road contractors in his ward to put himself in good financial stead come 2017. To show how close he is to Otichillo, Atingo says the Emuhaya MP will run for governorship and has struck a deal with politician Ken Butiko to go for the parliamentary seat. Butiko ran for Vihiga county governorship race on ODM ticket in 2013. Atingo is from the same clan with Khalid Njiraini who has defected to Akaranga’s party. Njiraini recently held a harambee to help his wife pay Sh50,000 to pursue a university course. Atingo sent him Sh10,000 to win his support.
Back to Omulele, he has denied claims by ODM nominated member of Vihiga county assembly Ben Ombima and Atingo who had accused him of misleading residents by claiming Akaranga had sidelined the Banyore community in development matters.
Omulele said he had a cordial working relationship with the governor but clarified that he had called for fair distribution of development across the county. He explained that he advocated for equitable distribution development to benefit all residents in the county.
Skewed distribution of development in the county, Omulele noted, will brew resentment between the communities. At the same time, he observed that the constituency had not benefitted from some of the major turn-key projects initiated in the county. He said some of the key projects which were initiated and funded by the county government included the recently established university at Kaimosi in Hamisi subcounty, the multi-million Bumbo-Shamakhokho water project in the same area, the medical training college in Mbale town and a stadium expected to be constructed  at Chavakali.

No comments:

Post a Comment