Nyong'o warns politicians on campaigning in Kisumu CBD
Acting City Manager Abala Wanga said Mr Jack Ranguma was to blame for what befell him and his entourage.
County officials have maintained that they will firmly deal with any politician who is planning to disrupt business in the Kisumu city centre while campaigning.
But Prof Anyang Nyong’o’s campaign secretariat denied claims that he had sanctioned the police operation that saw Kisumu ex-governor Jack Ranguma’s campaigns disrupted by officers moments after he was cleared to contest the governorships by the electoral agency.
On Monday, Mr Ranguma criticised Governor Nyong’o for the chaos that erupted in the city centre near the Jubilee market after anti-riot police fired teargas at the ex-governor and his supporters.
The police actions at the Jubilee market and the main bus park caused a stampede, leading to injuries and destruction of property.
But in a statement issued on behalf of the governor's campaign secretariat, acting City Manager Abala Wanga said Mr Ranguma was to blame for what befell him and his entourage.
Mr Wanga accused the former governor of attempting to lead his supporters to disrupt business in the city centre.
"A strong message must be sent to all and sundry that respect [for] law and order is not an optional requirement irrespective of one’s status or background," Mr Wanga said.
Banned political rallies
In a May 27 notice, Mr Wanga banned political rallies in the central business district, explaining that this would protect public property, infrastructure and newly installed aesthetic features.
He said city administrators would designate areas for political gatherings outside the city centre.
He pointed out that even the governor, who was cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on June 4, showed the way by abiding by the laws of Kenya and city by-laws by skirting the city to hold a mammoth rally on its outskirts.
Mr Wanga said Mr Ranguma and his supporters took the law into their own hands and campaigned in undesignated areas in the CBD with the full knowledge that their actions would disrupt business.
He also accused the politicians of not notifying the police about their activities beforehand.
He applauded security agencies for dealing “firmly” with the “disorderliness” and ensuring that economic activities in the city were not disrupted.
“Any insinuations therefore that what befell the team that transgressed … the law was orchestrated or sanctioned by Governor Nyong’o is not only a fallacy but will not achieve the intended purpose of raising any sympathies,” Mr Wanga said.
But the Ranguma team has accused Prof Nyong’o of using his office to muzzle his competitors by restricting their campaigns to the outskirts of the city.
Ban on rallies
The ban on rallies in the city centre was enacted just days after the city management lifted a ban on billboards and campaign posters in the area.
But the lifting of the ban on campaign posters came with a rider that the materials would not be placed anywhere in the city centre or roundabouts jointly refurbished by the county and the business community.
Mr Ranguma, who is seeking to recapture his seat on a Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) ticket, has accused Governor Nyong’o of riding on World Bank projects to seek votes.
But Mr Wanga argued that most of the Kisumu Urban Projects (KUP) had stalled by the time Mr Ranguma left office in 2017.
"He claimed to have negotiated the KUP funding, but what happened? The KUP projects had stalled because of poor negotiating skills with the development partners," he said.
"Ranguma left behind a disorganised city. In a large sense, Kisumu would be worse than the way it is today, had he got the chance to serve for a second term."
The Nyong'o campaign secretariat claims Mr Ranguma left behind Sh5bn worth of pending bills and other debts.
