Oparanya, Malala clash over Matungu mini-poll

Wycliffe Oparanya

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya (centre) and Senator Cleophas Malala (right) at a past event. The senator has accused Mr Oparanya of using county resources to campaign for ODM candidate David Were.

Photo credit: File I Nation Media Group

What you need to know:

  • Senator Malala claims county employees from Matungu were being intimidated and threatened to support the ODM candidate or lose their jobs.
  • But Deputy Governor Philip Kutima dismissed Mr Malala’s allegations as unfounded. 

An altercation has erupted between Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya and Senator Cleophas Malala over campaigns for the Matungu by-election set for March 4.

Senator Malala has accused Governor Oparanya of using county resources to campaign for ODM candidate David Were.

Mr Malala has asked traders in the county to stop paying taxes to the county government, claiming the county resources were being diverted for ODM campaigns in Matungu.

“We are concerned about the wastage of government resources in Kakamega, and we will not allow county employees including sub-county and ward administrators, government vehicles and county askaris to be used in campaigns for ODM candidate,” said Mr Malala.

The senator said county employees from Matungu were being intimidated and threatened to support the ODM candidate or lose their jobs.

But Deputy Governor Philip Kutima dismissed Mr Malala’s allegations as unfounded. He said the county operates under the rule of law and cannot frustrate its workforce because of their political inclinations.

Prof Kutima assured all county employees that their jobs are secure, adding that no one will be dismissed on grounds of their political standing in the Matungu mini-poll. 

"No one should be scared of losing his or her job after the mini-poll. County workers are employed in adherence to the provisions of County Government Employment Act and the hiring process is not political," said Prof Kutima. 

Senator Malala spoke in Mukhweya village when he accompanied ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi on Sunday to campaign for the party’s candidate Peter Nabulindo.

“I am calling on traders to stop paying taxes until the Matungu by-election is over. We cannot subject our poor people to straining while paying taxes that end up in campaigns for a particular candidate.”

“After all, why should the poor people selling vegetables and fruits struggle to contribute to government revenue through taxes when the leadership is concerned with campaigns?” Posed Mr Malala.

Employees intimidated

The senator claimed that county employees are being intimidated to vote for the ODM candidate against their will. 

“We are getting complaints from residents of Matungu who have been employed by the county government. They are being intimidated to vote for the ODM candidate against their will.”

During a political rally at Kholera polytechnic, Mayoni ward MCA Libinus Oduor is said to have announced that county employees from Matungu who will not vote for Mr Were will be sacked.

Mr Oduor, an ODM member, claimed that the county will on March 4 install secret agents in polling stations to identify the voting patterns of all county employees from Matungu.

“Those who will vote for other candidates will be freed from their duties so they can seek assistance from the persons they will have voted for,” said Mr Oduor.

Last week, Governor Oparanya met ECD teachers from Matungu and promised to increase their salary by Sh3,000 immediately. This was seen as a move to entice the teachers to support the ODM candidate.

Mr Oparanya further promised to raise the salary by a similar figure in July and Sh2,000 in January 2022.

“I have to reward the teachers for their exemplary services to our children and the county at large,” he said when he hosted the teachers for a meeting on Covid-19 at the Cultural Center in Mumias.

The county leadership has further promised to revive the OparanyaCare Afya ya Mama na Mtoto programme that gives expectant mothers Sh2,000 for a period of one and half years. The programme has stalled since 2018.

But a section of leaders from the county argue that the incentives are meant to entice voters in Matungu into supporting Mr Oparanya’s choice in the by-election.

“The programme had stalled since 2018. The amount has accumulated to Sh36,000 per beneficiary. Why is it being reintroduced at this time when the governor has interests in Matungu by-election?” Questioned former County Health Executive Penina Mukabane.

Senator Malala asked those who have been intimidated in one way or another to visit his office to lodge complaints to him.