Governor Ranguma clashes with Senator Nyong'o over tractors

Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma had accused the two of sabotaging the revival of the scheme, which aims to jump-start the local economy.PHOTO:COURTESY

Senator Anyang' Nyong'o and Nyando MP Fred Outa have denied frustrating efforts to revive the Sh200 million Ahero rice irrigation scheme.

Kisumu Governor Jack Ranguma had accused the two of sabotaging the revival of the scheme, which aims to jump-start the local economy.

Prof Nyong'o and Outa questioned the delay by the county to hand to farmers subsidised tractors worth Sh200 million donated by the Japanese government through the Ministry of Agriculture.

According to the National Irrigation Board, the county government committed to pay Sh63 million for the 25 tractors sold to farmers at half-price through the ministry in 2015.

The tractors have been lying idle for two years now, prompting the government to threaten to withdraw them.

Outa, who sits in the parliamentary agricultural committee, clashed with Ranguma as the Ministry of Agriculture finally handed over the tractors to farmers after long negotiations.

Ranguma claimed that the two leaders had asked the ministry not to release the tractors until the county paid the Sh63 million.

However, Nyong'o and Outa insisted that it was because of their intervention that the tractors had been taken to the two irrigation schemes.