Education Cabinet Secretary Ezekiel Machogu and Kisii Governor Simba Arati have agreed to bury the hatchet and work towards developing the region.
The two were bitter rivals ahead of the August 9 General Election when they contested for the Kisii gubernatorial seat saw Mr Arati emerge the winner with 270,928 votes against Mr Machogu, who got 82,104 votes.
In a move clearly seen as an attempt to bring together elected representatives ahead of President William Ruto’s visit to the region later this month, the CS challenged other Gusii leaders to drop their political differences and forge a close working relationship.
Mr Machogu said he is keen to see all leaders from the community speaking in one voice to avoid being left behind by other regions on development matters.
The call by the CS comes amid protests by some MPs who have accused him of not being development-conscious.
The CS told a gathering at Gusii stadium, also attended by Mr Arati, that he and the county chief had agreed to set aside their political differences and join hands to serve the people.
“Last Sunday, the governor and I met in Mombasa and we agreed that the political fights that have been prevalent in this region must stop forthwith.
“We are one people. We must love one another because loving each other is not synonymous with malicious gossip and backstabbing,” said Mr Machogu amid cheers and ululations from the audience.
“The most important thing we should all bear in our minds is to ask ourselves what we have done at this time God has given us the opportunity to serve,” stated Mr Machogu.
Mr Machogu pointed out that he had facilitated a meeting between the governor and President Ruto at State House, Nairobi, to discuss about development.
“My brother, for the sake of Omogusii, let’s not speak in two languages,” said Mr Machogu.
“Recently, I called the Governor of Kisii and his Nyamira counterpart and urged them to unite the people to ensure our community is counted as a stakeholder in Kenya’s national politics,” he added.
Mr Machogu said that soon after the end of last elections and the new national government was formed, he put together all the local leaders and visited key ministries to bargain for development projects for Kisii.
The CS said Kisii County will receive a total of Sh60 billion for the construction of an ultramodern centre of excellence in medical research.
The government of Kuwait will fund schools in Nyamira to the tune of Sh1.5 billion to improve physical facilities, he said.
He noted that Kisii leaders were united in demanding the upgrading of Suneka Airstrip in Bonchari constituency in order to improve commuting from the region to Nairobi and elsewhere, instead of the current situation where they have to travel to either Homa Bay or Kisumu to catch a flight to Nairobi.
“The second issue is that I am pushing for all stalled road projects in Gusii to be revived. We also went to the CS for Water and her principal secretaries and pushed for Bonyunyu dam … provide proper compensation so that the people of Gusii can enjoy reliable clean drinking water.”
The CS also said he and the elected leaders visited the Ministry of Health to push for a Sh2.8-billion cancer centre in Kisii.
Mr Machogu said he had asked the two Gusii governors to identify space for affordable housing, which he promised President Ruto will commission on March 24, 2023 when he makes his maiden visit to Kisii.
“We are not interested in wrangles and gossip,” warned Mr Machogu who hailed Mr Arati as a brave man who cannot be intimidated by idlers and busybodies.
He urged the Gusii people to reflect very keenly and watch how nearby communities stick together to form a formidable force to negotiate projects and appointments to their regions and people.
He said the president was going to appoint many of the local people into various positions in government. He asked the people to turn up in large numbers when the President will visit.
