Kitui Governor Charity and Senator Enoch Wambua lock horns

Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua (left) and Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu launch water bowsers: Bad political blood has developed between them with the Senator maintaining he has to hold the county government to account while the Governor accuses him of fomenting destructive controversies. [File Standard]

 

 

 

 

A new battle line is emerging in Kitui County between Senator Enoch Wambua and Governor Charity Ngilu.

The Senator is not apologetic about his oversight role of keeping the county government on its toes and checking against imprudent use of public resources while the Ngilu side sees him as paving way for his 2022 political ambitions.

The bad blood between the two leaders played out in the open when the senator stood in the public over the weekend and vowed to hold the governor and her administration to account on financial impropriety without fear, favour or malice.

For instance, Sen. Wambua demands full disclosure of how much money the county government spent to host the Kitui Sevens Rugby Tournament and Daniel Ndambuki’s Churchill show last June.

“We have in our possession some crucial documents and which we will expose at the opportune time. When I am pushed to the wall, I will call a spade a spade,” the senator said adding that in the course of discharge of his duties, he will never be distracted by insults, lies and fabrications aimed at silencing him.

 

Locked out

Speaking immediately after he was locked out of the Kitui County Health Insurance Cover’s (K-CHIC) registration drive at Kabati market in his Kitui West turf on Saturday, the senator said he would discharge his oversight responsibilities expeditiously.

“I have received hundreds of calls and messages condemning the decision of the executive arm of the county government of Kitui to deny me an opportunity to register for K-CHIC.

I would wish to bring this matter to rest, at least on my end. The decision must be seen for what it is and we move on; a thoughtless act by people who have zero capacity to successfully manage any meaningful and constructive engagement with the public. It was really a small matter and we shouldn't read too much in it,” he said.

“Secondly, I have absolutely no ill feelings about the people who are very loud in insulting me for doing the job they elected me to do.

 I blame their boss who instead of creating jobs for our people by stimulating a sustainable environment for investment to generate employment opportunities, she has told a few young people that the only readily available job for which they are paid peanuts is to insult their senator and any other elected leader who questions her,” said Wambua.

 

 

 

 

Graft exposure

He said the steady flow of information from the executive on the ongoing “blatant misuse of county resources” among sitting and former employees, has been very helpful, adding that soon all the matters will be brought to light.

 He added: “Then we shall see what role the people insulting me in every twist and turn will play when accountability is demanded.”

Wambua said he wanted to go on record that if he had allowed his supporters to take the same route, he would be no different from Ngilu and that he will be sober and respect the governor.

The senator said he will protect the interests of the people and the county government and lobby for resources for the county during the division of revenue.

He then sought to clarity that his oversight role had nothing to do with 2022 elections.

 “In 2017, I asked for a job to protect the interests of the people of Kitui and I was given that job by an overwhelming majority of voters. I would be a traitor to my people if I made myself subservient to the office of the governor and look the other way as county resources are being plundered,” he said.

 

2022

Wambua said he surrendered himself fully to the will of God regarding 2022 and he was not even sure if he will be alive or if the people being paid to insult him will be alive to vote him out then.

He said the battle he was waging was not about flesh and blood but between good and evil, darkness and light, truth and lies; that he had chosen to firmly stand on the side of goodness, light and the truth and hoped that history would judge each one of them.

“I pray for them and for myself to be alive to witness the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living in 2022. When that time comes and I decide to run for an elective office, the only seat I won't be able to compete for is the County MP (Woman Representative); I am qualified for all the other positions,” the senator said.

Last month, Governor Ngilu accused unnamed county politician of fueling dissent against her green gram farming programme dubbed ‘Ndengu Revolution’ and other development plans.

 

Blackmail

Speaking at Wambua’s Mutonguni ward home village in Kitui West during the launch of the October-December ploughing programme, the governor accused Wambua, without naming him directly of waging a vicious political fight against her by fueling controversy in the region.

“Viongozi hawa ni wale rais mstaafu Kibaki aliwaita bure kabisa, hawana maana yoyote…. (These kind of leaders were the ones retired President Kibaki (Mwai) used to dismiss as useless, worthless),” said Ngilu.

The governor said she would not succumb to political blackmail from within and outside her administration aimed at derailing or slowing down her development initiatives.

 

 

itui Governor Charity Ngilu assisted by senator-elect Enoch Wambua flags off water boozers to distribute water to areas that lack the commodity immediately after she was sworn-in on August 21, 2017 at the Kitui’s Muslim Secondary School. [Paul Mutua, Standard]