Kakamega Governor Barasa tells off Senator Khalwale, other leaders on criticism

Governor Fernandes Barasa has accused Senator Boni Khalwale of engaging in a smear campaign to discredit his administration amid rising tension between the two leaders.

Mr Barasa said Dr Khalwale was spreading lies about him in meetings instead of focusing on his responsibilities for the county.

The county chief appears to have been irked by remarks made during the thanksgiving party for Commission on Revenue Allocation commissioner Hadija Juma last Sunday.

At the function, Dr Khalwale said he had helped ensure Governor Barasa met President William Ruto at State House to discuss key development projects that require support from the national government.

But in response, Mr Barasa said he had been elected as the chair of the Council of Governors Finance and Planning Committee because of his track record and that he had unfettered access to the President. He, therefore, did not need help from any other leader to meet the Head of State.

Mr Barasa, who spoke at Khapondi Primary in Mumias East on Sunday said: “Khalwale should stop behaving like a political broker. He now claims that I have to go through him to see the President. I want him to know that I have direct access to President William Ruto. I don’t need Khalwale to meet the President to discuss issues related to development in Kakamega County.”

Bursary row

The disagreement between the two leaders erupted a week ago after the senator accused the governor of allocating insufficient bursary funds to the wards.

Dr Khalwale said the Sh2 million allocated to each of the wards was not sufficient to support bright children from vulnerable families and proposed the amount should be increased to Sh20 million per ward.

But the governor said his administration had allocated Sh4 million to each of the wards, amounting to Sh240 million.

“We have increased the amount for bursary allocation by an additional Sh2 million to benefit more children in our county,” said Mr Barasa.

Former Sports Cabinet Secretary Rashid Echesa and former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala have also accused Mr Barasa of failing to initiate any development projects in the five months he has been in office. They said if the governor does not get his priorities right, he might end up serving only one term.

Mr Malala had also accused the MCAs of accompanying the governor to functions instead of playing their oversight role.

In reply, Mr Barasa told the two: “I’m a focused leader who knows what my people want. Those writing me off should do their homework properly.” 

The governor challenged the leaders to support his administration to deliver its development agenda instead of attacking it.

[email protected]