Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya accuses Boni Khalwale of witch-hunt

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has accused Dr Boni Khalwale of using a Senate committee to fight him.

Speaking at Kisumu International Airport on Friday evening, Mr Oparanya said the Kakamega senator would be an "unfair judge in his case".

The governor had reported to the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) after the Director of Public Prosecution Keriako Tobiko ordered for his arrest for failing to heed summonses to appear  before the Senate Public Accounts and Investment Committee chaired by Dr Khalwale.

The Senate passed a motion on December 3 that he appears before the committee to shed light on queries the Auditor General raised concerning the 2013/14 financial year.

But Mr Oparanya alleged that Dr Khalwale is waging personal political war against him.

Senator Khalwale has indicated that he will contest the governor’s seat in 2017.

The governor said the audit queries were already being handled by the county assembly of Kakamega.

“The senator has declared in public that he wants to be governor of Kakamega County, it would be very unfair if he is the one pushing this matter.

“Why would the Senate have an issue when the Auditor General has said an audit is a normal financial process, the county assembly has no issue as well. That is why I say this is a personal war,” he said.

He said he decided to go to the DCI and that is where he learnt he has been accused of failing to heed summonses.

“The two letters written to me by the Senate have been responded to, that is why I decided to go the CID myself because I did not know the charge.

“Furthermore I am not the accounting officer according to Public Finance Management (PFM) Act,” Mr Oparanya said.

In response to the claims, Dr Khalwale told the Nation that the governor’s excuses will not stop him from pushing for accountability in Kakamega and that Mr Oparanya “can run but he cannot hide’.

“When the force of law finally persuades him to appear before the committee, the serious audit queries contained in the Auditor General report of 2013/14 on Kakamega County Executive will vindicate me and my committee,” the senator said.

Mr Robert Makhanu, Leader of Majority at the Kakamega County Assembly, said the Senate was taking up their responsibility.

“We have not failed to look at the books of the county government. I concur with the governor that this is personal as Dr Khalwale has already shown interest in the seat. He wants to use this opportunity to fix his opponent which is not just,” said Mr Makhanu.