No end to Guv Nyong’o, Sen Outa wars – Weekly Citizen

Kisumu governor Anyang Nyong’o who is in his second phase of his leadership, appears to be fast losing control of area control. The governor is yet to convene his leaders’ meeting since he was sworn in immediately after his controversial election where be beat former holder of the office Jack Ranguma.
Kisumu county has MPs Olago Aluoch (Kisumu West), Ahmed Shabir (Kisumu East), Aduma Owuor (Nyakach), Jared Okello (Nyando) and Onyango K’oyoo (Muhoroni) together with James Nyikal (Seme) and Fred Outa (Kisumu Central), have opted to adopt a “let us wait and see attitude” towards the whole spectacle.

Senator Fred Outa

But at the centre of a simmering future confrontation now pits Nyong’o and area senator Fred Outa, who have of late been at loggerheads with the former Nyando MP, insisting that he will not stop his barrage of attacks against the former cabinet minister.
Outa who has been breathing fire and brimstone over Nyong’o’s style of leadership has been an aggrieved person. Outa has repeatedly called for an audit of accounts at the Kisumu county government. He wants the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission to swing into action. Outa has been tearing into Nyong’o’s political leadership at almost all public functions.
But the deputy governor Mathews Owili has also come out strongly against Outa’s hardline stance. Owili blames Outa for his unrelenting criticism of the county boss.
Nyong’o on the other hand, feels the senator should allow him to do his work. Outa has been vocal about the county issues.
He has tabled some of them in the senate, which include alleged misappropriation of funds in the Kisumu Urban Project which led to the closure of some bank accounts. He wants to know what led to the closure of the accounts and what the findings of investigations are so far. The Directorate of Criminal Investigations froze the accounts after funds were wired to the wrong KUP accounts, hindering projects worth Sh4.5 billion that France funded. Outa has in the recent past put the governor on the spot over allegations that Moi Stadium and Sunset Hotel are owned by private developers. He has also questioned plans to construct a governor’s residence at a cost of Sh350 million

Owili

The salvos against Outa were first fired by MPs and the county’s leaders of the Orange Democratic Movement, who asked him to stop politicking at the expense of development.
Jared Okello (Nyando) and Aduma Owuor (Nyakach) endorsed Nyong’o for a second term and asked him to hand over to Owili when he completes his tenure in office.
Okello noted that during campaigns for the 2017 general election, Outa told them Nyong’o was the best candidate.
“This has not changed,” he said during the service at St Joseph Nyabondo Mission Church recently.
“We will not listen to Outa but will go ahead and re-elect the governor for a second term. We could as well add him another term if the constitution is amended,” he sounded.
He told the people of Nyakach, where deputy governor hails from, not to allow anybody to lie to them about the politician best-placed to govern the county.
“This is the closest people of Nyakach have been to the governor. Continue supporting Prof Nyong’o so that your son Owili can take over from him when he finishes his term,” he said.
Owuor questioned the senator’s academic credentials which he said could lock him out of the race to succeed Governor Nyong’o in 2022. A lobby group dubbed as Mulembe Movement has also warned Outa against criticising the county chief.
Led by chairman Khalid Njiraini, the group said Governor Nyong’o has developed the county’s infrastructure and described him as an experienced and capable leader.
Kisumu county vice chairman, Kennedy Ajwang, warned the senator and any other members of the party against attacking each other in public forums, saying this will eventually attract disciplinary action from the party hierarchy.

The governor says that only three MPs from Kisumu had been supporting him namely Okello, Owuor and Nyikal.
Some county leaders have accused Prof Nyong’o of being a lone ranger. Shabbir once accused him of sidelining his constituency because he was elected on an independent ticket.
Senator Outa recently claimed the governor had blacklisted his mobile number and was therefore unreachable. Deputy governor Owili says he was solidly behind his boss and would campaign for him for a second term.