Scrambling for power has emerged in Kakamega County as the new deputy governor, Ayub Savula, asserted his equality with the newly elected governor, Fernandes Barasa.
Speaking on September 11th, Savula refuted claims that he had dropped out of the gubernatorial bid in favor of backing Barasa, Azimio’s candidate.
He disclosed the offer made to him to drop his bid, which would have given him control over half the county government. The vociferous ex-MP claimed to be the co-governor.
“I am not a deputy governor, I am a co-governor.
“Do not let anyone tell you that I settled for deputy, that is a white lie. Barasa and I agreed that we would share the government fifty-fifty, he has taken half, I take half,” he clarified.
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Savula delved further into the agreement, hinting that the power-sharing arrangement would allow him to pick half of the County Executive Committee members. The former Lugari lawmaker urged Barasa to follow William Ruto’s example and uphold his word.
“According to the county constitution, Kakamega has ten ministries. Barasa will appoint five and I will appoint five,” he added.
His assertions follow his admission that he was forced to switch from the Kenya Kwanza coalition to Raila Odinga’s Azimio la Umoja coalition party. He claimed that a prosecution for graft was being threatened against him.
His remarks toward him joining the Azimio coalition had appeared to rub Raila Odinga’s footsoldiers in the wrong way.
Savula received a swift rebuke from ODM’s communication director Philip Etale, who called him a mole who had never backed Raila.
“To be honest, Savula has never been a member of ODM. In fact, after quitting ANC of his own volition, he joined DAP-K, which was part of Azimio. To claim he was coerced to support Raila is a horrific hallucination,” Etale clapped back.
The fact that Savula and Barasa have not yet taken the oath of office makes it clear that the road ahead could be difficult given that their political base is on fire.
The country has already seen a chilly relationship between the career executive and the former lawmaker with the introduction of regional governments in 2013.
Nyeri county also suffered the same fate after governor Mutahi Kahiga and his deputy Dr. Caroline Karugu fell out.
Currently, the constitution has not clearly defined the roles of Deputy Governors other than to step in, in the absence of the county bosses.
