Governor Lonyangapuo perfects political clown image

West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo has cut himself the image of the political clown among his colleagues.

Early in the year, he tackled his perceived political detractor, a non-governmental organisation activist named Dennis Ruto Kapchok, with the humorous put down “kijana mfupi round”, which trended on social media for weeks on end, and which served to introduce to the public the other side of the governor, a professor of applied mathematics.

However, the good professor might have taken things a bit too casually as pertains the nagging question about the prolonged absence of his deputy Nicholas Atudonyang’.

For the most part of the two years since they were elected to office in August 2017, Dr Atudonyang’ has been missing in action from his county.

Apparently the deputy governor, a neurosurgeon, returned to the United States of America, where he was working for the past 15 years, to continue his work.

WHATSAPP LINE

The reason the governor berated and derided Mr Ruto as “mulmulwas” in his public speech in March was because of the latter questioning happenings at the county, including Dr Atudonyang’s long absence from the country.

The second issue was largely forgotten in the humorous manner in which the governor had dismissed Mr Ruto’s petulant questions and the manner it was received by the public.

But this week, the governor was forced to appear before the Senate Committee on Devolution after a persistent Mr Ruto petitioned the committee to demand answers over Dr Atudonyang’s absence.

In his characteristic brash manner, the governor told the senators that he did not have a mobile phone number to reach his deputy in Texas and offered them a WhatsApp line with which to reach to him.

“Mr chairman, I can only give you the WhatsApp line,” the governor said as those in the committee room burst into laughter.

PRO BONO

Prof Lonyangapuo was even comical as he took lightly calls by Senate to get a substantive replacement for Dr Atudonyang, as he has proved to be too busy to serve in Kenya.

“If you look at it differently, this is even profitable to us because through his absence we have received medical equipment worth millions. We have even donated some of them to our neighbouring counties because we cannot use all of them,” he said.

The governor told the Senators that Dr Atundonyang’ would continue working for the county pro bono after his salary was stopped in September last year.

RESOURCES

He added that through his deputy’s networks in the United States, the county has been able to receive medical equipment and personnel worth more than Sh150 million for which they have paid only Sh3 million freight fees.

When pushed to convince his deputy to voluntarily exit, Governor Lonyangapuo responded. “I am not comfortable without him and there is nothing you can do about it. So do you want me to climb a tree in West Pokot and say come or go forever, no…

When it has reached a point like that, you have enough powers here, including to summon and fly there, because I cannot drag him to come. Parliament has a budget to the moon,” he said.