Ranguma and Odinga bury hatchet
What you need to know:
- As a sign of their new truce, Mr Ranguma nominated Ms Odinga to attend a global women conference in New York that starts on Sunday.
- The two leaders have been involved in bitter public exchanges.
- Mr Ranguma has however dismissed her claims as calculated to derail development in the county.
Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma has extended an olive branch to his deputy Ruth Odinga as the two vowed to work together after three months of infighting.
As a sign of their new truce, Mr Ranguma nominated Ms Odinga to attend a global women conference in New York that starts on Sunday.
The two met in the county offices on Monday in the presence of the UN Women Country Director Zebib Kavuma.
This was the first face-to-face meeting in three months.
Speaking in a radio interview yesterday, Mr Ranguma said he was ready to work with anyone.
“I do not have a problem with my leaders. I work with them equally and I have never discriminated against anyone on the basis of their gender,” he said.
The two leaders have been involved in bitter public exchanges.
Ms Odinga accused Mr Ranguma of, among other things, appointing county officers in a skewed manner, misappropriating county funds and limiting her car budget.
DERAIL DEVELOPMENT
Mr Ranguma has however dismissed her claims as calculated to derail development in the county.
In the radio interview, the county boss said that all he wants is peace and a climate where leaders consult each other before making a decision.
“If I want to do anything at the Senate, I have to consult my Senator. The same applies to my deputy because I do not have any differences with her,” he said.
He said that had it been that he had a problem with her deputy, he would not have nominated her to represent the county at the New York meeting.
Speaking to the Nation before she left for the conference, Ms Odinga said she did not have a problem with her boss and is looking forward to working with him “in a peaceful environment.”
“I have been at the forefront of fighting for development of the county and this does not mean that I have a problem with my boss. He is surrounded by cartels who tend to mislead him and we are hoping that he has realised this,” she said.
She said that if she is assigned any duty by the governor, she will do it.
“We are in a very good terms and we can manage to work,” Ms Odinga said.