Cherargei asks Raila to rein on his allies attacking Ruto

Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei has called on former Prime Minister Raila Odinga to rein on senior members of his ODM Party who have shown open disrespect to President William Ruto.

Cherargei said that it was a matter of concern that Governors Peter Nyongo (Kisumu), James Orengo (Siaya), and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna have appeared to demean the President.

Cherargei said that Nyongo, Orengo, and Sifuna were out of order in criticizing Ruto, arguing that while it was their right to express their displeasure on the challenges faced by the country, it was very wrong for them to appear to talk down to the President in public forums.

“Nyongo, Orengo, and Sifuna must appreciate that we are in a broad-based arrangement, and if they have any issue with the President, they should look for a better way of addressing it. That is why we are asking Raila Odinga to rein on his troops who are disrespecting the President,” said Cherargei.

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The Nandi Senator said that while most Senators agree that devolution must work and they appreciate that it was facing several challenges, the issue of transfer of functions to counties and funding to counties should not be politicized and should be handled in a sober manner.

Cherargei said that Ruto has been at the forefront in championing the counties receiving their funds on time and the unbundling of all the devolved functions, and that it was wrong for leaders from a political wing they are working with to criticize the President openly.

He said that while it was the right of Nyongo, Orengo and Sifuna to express their displeasure over the various issues in devolution it was the greatest height of hypocrisy for them to use the public podium to address the President while they know the right procedure to address the matter.

“Orengo should be the last person to talk about democracy in the country, yet he has not allowed Deputy Governor William Oduol to work and has used goons to keep him out of office. He should be aware that Oduol might take over from him one day,” said Cherargei.

Nyongo had said the Ruto regime had decided to go back to pre-devolution times before the 2010 constitution, which is a hindrance to its primitive accumulation schemes, which will not only affect devolution but every ethos of building a national democratic and developmental state.

Nyongo said that the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA)and Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KERRA) need not exist if the national government is prepared fully to implement devolution.

 “The Council of Governors and all progressive forces in the Republic of Kenya need to be aware of this fact and resist it by all means necessary; the achievements of the second liberation must not be destroyed by this regime,” said Nyongo.

The Kisumu Governor argued that counties manage health effectively and efficiently, with the national government not able to manage the Kenyatta National Hospital, which is one of the few health entities in its hands.

Orengo is currently facing a backlash with Luo Professionals calling him out for what they termed as disrespecting the President, and that as a community, they were fully in support of the broad-based government.