Khalwale dismisses leaders who asked President Kenyatta to appoint Musalia Mudavadi to Cabinet

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale. [PHOTO: STANDARD/FILE]

By LUKE ANAMI

KAKAMEGA COUNTY: A section of political leaders from Western are divided over calls by Vihiga County MPs that Amani Coalition leader Musalia Mudavadi be appointed to the Cabinet.

Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale took issue with leaders including former Cabinet Minister Soita Shitanda, Sabatia MP Alfred Agoi, and his Hamisi counterpart Charles Gimose for drumming up support to have Mudavadi appointed saying it was a waste of time.

The three over the weekend joined others including Busia Senator Amos Wako and his Vihiga counterpart George Khaniri in calling for Mudavadi’s appointment to Cabinet.

President Uhuru Kenyatta was in Vihiga on Saturday where he attended the memorial of Mudavadi’s father, Moses.

ENDLESS BEGGING

“I wish to disassociate from this campaign that the UDF party leader be appointed to the Cabinet. It is not as important an agenda from Western as President Uhuru has been made to believe,” Dr Khalwale said in an interview with The Standard.

“Kakamega County is in need of infrastructure projects including roads, health facilities among other important economic needs and not a mere appointment of an individual to the Cabinet.”

Most leaders, who spoke on Friday in the presence of Uhuru, kept asking him to appoint Mudavadi saying the region had always been represented in the Cabinet since independence.

“It is only your government that has failed to appoint someone from Maragoli to the Cabinet,” Vihiga MP Yusuf Chanzu said.

However, Khalwale dismissed his fellow Luhya leaders saying they should have prepared an economic agenda for the President instead of engaging him in endless begging missions. “Those leaders who spoke failed to articulate the development agenda which the four counties in Western urgently require,” Khalwale said.

Baringo Senator Gideon Moi said Luhya unity would only become meaningful if they voted as a bloc, instead of begging for jobs.

“Uhuru is the president because his people united and voted him. Your unity is only meaningful if you vote as a bloc so that we also can come here and beg you for jobs,” Gideon said during the event.

Mudavadi, on the other hand, has denied seeking for a job.

“You should be asking those who say I want to be appointed. Find out where they got that information from instead of asking me all the time,” Mudavadi said.