Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has vowed not to appear before the ODM disciplinary committee to explain himself on his county’s assembly leadership row.
In response to the Central Management Committee (CMC) summons, Barasa demanded respect from the party and the committee, maintaining he would not be intimidated.
Flanked by deputy county Speaker Ben Shitiabayi, the Governor also accused ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna of a witchhunt.
The duo dismissed the CMC of ethnic bias arguing that as currently constituted, it lacks ethic and regional balance to arbitrate fairly in the leadership wrangles in his county assembly.
He said he would resist coercion from the ODM leadership. “I want ODM national leaders to know that the government of Kakamega under me has the executive authority from the people and won’t budge to dictates of one Edwin Sifuna. The CMC must respect us and the leadership of the county assembly.”
Impasse at assembly
Last week, Sifuna summoned Barasa, County assembly speaker James Namatsi and MCA Philip Maina to appear before the CMC on a yet-to-be-specified date over the impasse at the assembly.
The Kakamega agenda will be CMC’s first major test under the stewardship of Kisumu Governor Prof Peter Anyang Nyong’o.
Nyong’o was appointed CMC chairman to replace Raila Odinga last week in a statement by Sifuna.
Barasa, Namatsi and Maina are adjudged for defying changes made by ODM in the majority side of the assembly, in which Maina was replaced by Godfrey Ondiro. Yesterday, Shitiabayi accused Sifuna of a witch hunt , and claimed he was not the face of Luhya in the ODM leadership.
ODM party MCAs in the assembly replaced the leader of the majority Maina with Ondiro over alleged failure to champion their welfare issues. The decision was forwarded to ODM, which confirmed the changes through writs to the speaker by Sifuna and Party CEO Oduor Ongwen.
Barasa has stuck with Maina and indirectly through the speaker has thwarted all attempts for the ODM letter to be read on the floor of the assembly. On Saturday, Shitiabayi vowed the letter introducing Ondiro would never get to the floor.
The latest row was sparked a fortnight ago when Maina filed a notice to the speaker seeking leadership changes in which Barasa dissenters were targeted for the axe.
Meanwhile, ODM has maintained that her position to replace Maina with Ondiro still stands and urged Namatsi to implement it before his date with the CMC.
Governor Barasa is walking a political tightrope as he faces growing opposition from his party and deputy.
Barasa is currently battling accusations of running down the county and failing to fulfil his pre-election pledges to both individuals and the entire Kakamega, two years on.
Abandoned projects
His deputy Ayub Savula has openly criticised the governor over his style of leadership, saying the County had literally ground to a halt.
Impeccable sources intimated to the People Daily that Savula engaged in harsh phone exchanges with Barasa last week before the deputy governor left for an overseas trip the same evening.
Savula had earlier accused his boss of incompetence, saying many projects had been abandoned by contractors due to non-payment of their dues. “The county government is literally on its deathbed.
We are unable to deliver even very basic services such as the regular supply of drugs in our medical facilities. I feel we have betrayed our people,” he told a function in Khwisero constituency last weekend.
