Kimilili MP accuses speaker Lusaka of interfering with his leadership

An MP from Bungoma County is accusing Senate Speaker Ken Lusaka of plotting his downfall and undermining his leadership.

Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa Wednesday sensationally claimed that the Speaker, who comes from his constituency, is grooming individuals to succeed him in the coming general election, among them his son and former rival.

“Despite being in Jubilee, Lusaka never fully supported me in the last polls. I am pleading with Mr Lusaka to stop fighting me and let me discharge the mandate given to me by the people Kimilili,” he told journalists.

He revealed that the Speaker has had a problem with him working with leaders allied to Ford Kenya from the county led by Governor Wycliffe Wangamati , a matter that he said should be a none-issue since all elected leaders need to work together for the good of their voters.

“Being a former Governor, he should be the first person to support unity of purpose among leaders in the county, regardless of their political affiliation for the sake of development. I do not understand why he gets jittery when he sees me with his successor Mr Wangamati,” he said.

“As the Speaker, Lusaka should be a unifying figure in not only in Kimilili Constituency which I represent, but the region as well. He should assist me and other leaders to make life better for mwananchi, instead of fighting me,” added Barasa.

Over the weekend, the MP and his Bumula counterpart Mwambu Mabonga, were conspicuously absent during meetings graced by Deputy President William Ruto in different parts of the county.

The absence of Barasa and Mabonga- independent who pledged to work with Jubilee Party sent tongues wagging, with many people expressing fears that cracks have already starting emerging among leaders allied to the ruling coalition from the region.

Yesterday the lawmaker maintained that he has no differences with Mr Ruto and supports his 2022 presidential bid fully, revealing that he had other engagements over the weekend to attend to on the day the DP was in the county.

In a quick rejoinder however, Lusaka accused the legislator of being both petty and dishonest, rubbishing allegations that he is grooming his son to take over leadership in the constituency.

“What he is doing is fighting imaginary wars, which he should stop. Having been a public service for close to three decades, I will be the last person who will fight or undermine an elected leader,” he said.

The Senate Speaker challenged the first term MP to come out clear and say which party he supports, pointing out that he is among the people jeopardizing the growth of Jubilee in the constituency and the larger Bungoma.

He dismissed claims that he never supported him, revealing that he funded his campaigns and was the person who introduced the MP to the DP before the August 8 general elections.

Lusaka however observed that despite everything, the MP has never been committed to Jubilee activities and always blows hot and cold over key matters that concern the coalition led by President Uhuru Kenyatta.

“Why would a Jubilee MP skip meetings attended by a top party leader like the DP that were held two days in a row? Even if he had differences with me, he should have just showed up in one of the events,” he said.