Wilber Ottichilo dares his deputy Patrick Saisi to face him at the ballot

Wilber Ottichilo

Vihiga Governor Wilber Ottichilo (right) with his deputy Patrick Saisi at a past function. The two have fallen out as they disagree on the running of the county. 

Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group

Governor Wilber Ottichilo has told his deputy Patrick Saisi to prepare to face him in the 2022 polls as the fallout between the two politicians intensifies.

In an interview with West TV, Dr Ottichilo told Dr Saisi, whom he accuses of undermining his administration, to face him at the ballot, if he is “man enough”.

A truce brokered by ODM leader Raila Odinga failed to hold, sparking a fresh round of fighting. The two leaders have been at loggerheads since February.

WhatsApp group

The fresh row was ignited after Dr Saisi, on the same TV station, claimed he had been removed from the county executive committee WhatsApp group, a move that left him in the dark since the platform is used to plan cabinet meetings. The deputy also protested that he was yet to receive his July and August salaries despite every other county staff having been paid.

“If he (Dr Saisi) thinks he can make it (as a governor) and he is now man enough, let him get into the field,” Dr Ottichilo said. “The kind of politics I want us to play here in Vihiga and Kenya at large should be issue-based and not full of abuses. After all the politics, let us sit down and share a cup of tea.”

Dr Ottichilo, who will be seeking re-election, noted that he will accept defeat and hand over as he urged his competitors to be prepared to concede should they lose to him.

Noting he’s the one who picked Dr Saisi as his running mate in 2017, he said he could still do the same in 2022 should his deputy reform and avoid using the media to antagonise him.

“It’s difficult to abandon the person you picked. I don’t harbour any ill feelings against him. I haven’t wronged him, but he has issues he doesn't like about my leadership,” Dr Ottichilo said.

Dr Saisi had earlier asked the governor not to consider him as his 2022 running mate, noting, their leadership style is incompatible and that his boss is not a team player.

Salary is up to date

In response, Dr Ottichilo said he has his own leadership style and a manifesto to implement, adding that his deputy has no option but to work with him.

“He (Dr Saisi) has a challenge of not discussing issues with me. All he does is go to the media. He’s lying that he has not been paid, yet his salary is up to date. He’s the deputy governor but he is not keeping government secrets,” Dr Ottichilo said.

The governor complained that his deputy is engaging him “as if we are equals”. He wondered why he’s writing him letters instead of meeting him face to face.

“He writes letters to me asking me to explain issues. Government runs on a budget and he has gone to court through proxies and blocked implementation of the budget. The letters he wrote are the ones activists used to block our budget in court,” the governor lamented.

In February Governor Ottichilo asked his deputy to resign after they differed over the plan to end the nurses’ strike. At the time, the governor overruled the agreement that had been reached with the nurses, which had been brokered by Dr Saisi.