Kenya: The row between Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma and his deputy Ruth Odinga has escalated, with the two maintaining their hardline positions on management of county affairs.
The simmering war has split members of the county assembly (MCAs), with a faction backing Ranguma while another is supporting Ms Odinga in the battle over spending of the county's finances.
Yesterday, Odinga accused Ranguma of dictatorial tendencies, claiming the governor does not consult her before making key decisions, an allegation the county boss denied.
"The governor must know that the Constitution has devolved power and he should not use authoritarian style to run the county. We should work together if we have to realise the optimum growth and development of the county," she said.
She defended her move to oppose Ranguma's planned Sh5 million retreat to Nairobi for more than 80 county officials to iron out the differences affecting the county administration.
"The county is struggling financially and we cannot tolerate other misplaced priorities aimed at consuming the taxpayers' money. Two years down the line we have nothing as a government to show for it. We must now stop and rethink," she said.
Odinga, who chairs the county's performance contracting committee, claimed a report on the county's development projects shows deplorable state of the infrastructural development which had been approved in the previous financial year.
The report to be released next week, she added, has detailed a number of stalled projects which ought to be completed in the next four months.
Odinga claimed the governor had failed to recognise her as his main adviser by going ahead to enforce "something we have not agreed on".
But Ranguma defended the performance of his government and called for unity among the county leaders.
He further maintained there was no bad blood between him and his deputy, saying he has given her space and dockets to handle in the administration.
"I gave her two critical roles – to supervise all the county executive members and to oversee revenue collection in the county," Ranguma said.
But in response, Odinga said: "It is the same scenario my brother Raila Odinga went through in the grand coalition government where you are told to supervise ministers yet you are not given full authority to do so."
The Standard Group Plc is a
multi-media organization with investments in media platforms spanning newspaper
print operations, television, radio broadcasting, digital and online services. The
Standard Group is recognized as a leading multi-media house in Kenya with a key
influence in matters of national and international interest.
join