Kisumu leaders tell Outa to use Senate to challenge Nyong’o

Political differences between Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o and Senator Fred Outa have now attracted the attention of some leaders in the county.

The leaders have told Mr Outa to raise his reservations over the management of the county in the Senate.

Nyando MP Jared Okello told the Senator to take his allegations of misuse of county funds and his opposition to some of the projects being initiated to the Senate instead of attacking the governor in public gatherings and through the media.

Mr Okello, who does not see eye to eye with the senator due to political differences that arose over the Nyando Constituency ODM primaries in 2013 and 2017, told Mr Outa to take the issues concerning the use of county finances before the County Public Accounts and Investment Committee headed by Homa Bay Senator Moses Kajwang' so that Prof Nyong’o can be summoned instead of condemning him publicly.

GRAFT CLAIMS

Mr Outa has constantly raised concerns over what he claims is rampant corruption, neglect of some parts of the county in development and initiating projects without consulting locals.

“The endless squabbles pitting the senator and the governor in Kisumu County concerning the misuse of public funds and projects to be done are unnecessary and are only raising political temperatures in the county.

“As leaders we have always had engagements with the governor and the senator has always been there so we don’t understand his reservations concerning a number of projects and governance in the county,” Mr Okello told the Nation.

“The county has been holding public participation on a number of projects and the county assembly [has not complained about] the projects being initiated by the county government. If the senator is opposed to these projects, he should say why and raise them at the correct platform rather than lamenting on local radio stations,” added Mr Okello, who insisted he harbours no personal grudge against the senator.

RAILA HECKLING

The latest differences between Governor Nyong’o and Mr Outa played out last week after Mr Raila Odinga toured Ombeyi in Muhoroni Constituency where a section of locals heckled ODM leader and opposed the government’s plan to use their huge chunks of land to set up an industrial park which is being touted as an economic hub of the region.

The senator blamed the county government over the heckling, saying it did not do enough to sensitise the resident on the project before Mr Odinga and his entourage visited Muhoroni.

OPPOSED TO PROJECT

In response, Governor Nyong’o’s spokesman Alloys Ager questioned why he missed the event, claiming that he is opposed to the project.

“(Mr) Outa should not have skipped the event if he values it. The government will engage with the residents to re-look into loss of livelihood and investment on the land. The land belongs to the county government which wants to transform it into productive use. Anybody who stands in the way of the project is an enemy of the people of Kisumu,” Mr Ager said a day after Mr Odinga was heckled.

Efforts to reach the senator for comments on the various issues he has raised concerning the county affairs did not bear fruit as his phone was switched off and he did not respond to text messages sent to him.