Will the real Elisha stand up? Namesakes fight for Uhuru job
What you need to know:
- When the names were released, many thought the President had rewarded veteran South Nyanza politician Mzee Elisha Akech Chieng.
- Mzee Chieng, a former Kanu stalwart and chairman of the defunct South Nyanza County Council, insisted that the job was his.
- Both have been appointed members of the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board.
- Among those from Homa Bay County who were appointed are the chairman of Kenya Professional Boxing Association, Mr Hillary Alila, and Mrs Rosemary Rumo, who was TNA candidate for Homa Bay County Woman Representative in the 2013 General Election.
Two people who share a name have both claimed that they were appointed by President Kenyatta in the recent shake-up of parastatals.
The President appointed a Mr Elisha Akech to the board of Rural Electrification Authority.
When the names were released, many thought the President had rewarded veteran South Nyanza politician Mzee Elisha Akech Chieng.
For close to a week, Mzee Chieng has been receiving congratulatory messages with the majority thanking the President.
However, a young engineer, also named Elisha Akech, who hails from Kabuoch, has claimed to be the one appointed to the job.
The latest development has left the veteran politician distraught, with members of his Kanyamwa clan alleging foul play.
The name only appeared in the Kenya Gazette and none of the two has received an appointment letter.
REWARDED
Mzee Chieng, a former Kanu stalwart and chairman of the defunct South Nyanza County Council, insisted that the job was his.
“I am confident that President Kenyatta, whom I personally know, has rewarded me but is only being short-changed,” he claimed.
The row is threatening to suck in two clans, the Kanyamwa rooting for the older man and the Kabuoch for the engineer.
Mzee Chieng thanked the President for rewarding Homa Bay County with four other posts in his recent appointments.
Among those from Homa Bay County who were appointed are the chairman of Kenya Professional Boxing Association, Mr Hillary Alila, and Mrs Rosemary Rumo, who was TNA candidate for Homa Bay County Woman Representative in the 2013 General Election.
Both have been appointed members of the Lake Victoria South Water Services Board.
Others are Mr Ben Odhiambo Mcowiti who was TNA candidate for Homa Bay governor seat in 2013. He now sits on the board of Chemelil Sugar Company and Nyayo Tea Zone while Mrs Susan Akinyi Wakiaga has been appointed to the ADC board.
