Kitui Senator Enoch Wambua has dismissed claims that he is campaigning to be governor in 2022.
He said on Saturday such allegations are misplaced and all his criticism of Governor Charity Ngilu’s administration is meant to be constructive.
Wambua spoke at a fundraiser at Kyondoni Mixed Secondary school.
Some residents have accused him of premature campaigning and maligning Governor Charity Ngilu’s administration.
He has called for an audit of Ngilu’s green grams project and fire preparedness. Wambua said on Saturday that he is focussing on his representation and oversight roles and will ensure county resources are used prudently.
The Constitution mandates Senators to oversight counties.
“It’s wrong for anyone to misconstrue my questioning county expenditure to mean that I am campaigning to dethrone Governor Ngilu. I’m simply doing my work as mandated by voters,” he said.
Wambua said Kenyans elected their leaders in last year’s polls and it’s time for development. There are no vacancies and premature campaigns are pointless, he said.
“This obsession with election campaigns must come to a halt. When another election time comes, people will be free to seek any position,” the senator said.
Wambua said he will remain committed to keeping the county government in check so residents get value for money.
He urged the county to ensure the Ndengu Revolution, a green grams project initiated by Ngilu, is viable and sustainable.
He wants farmers to sell a kilogramme of ndengu for Sh100. The county government had promised to pay and must not renege, he said.
Ngilu partnered with the Kenya Red Cross to expand cultivation. It aims to improve food security and eradicate poverty.
Ngilu had said ndengu would be come Kitui’s main cash crop and the county should become the country’s largest producer.
She said at least 3.4 million acres should be cultivated in green grams. She projected Sh3.6 billion sales for farmers.
Wambua said the county has invested heavily in the project and must recoup the cash. The county government spent Sh100 million to purchase seeds distributed to farmers — Sh60 million and Sh40 million for pesticide spraying and ploughing, Wambua said.
“If the crop is bought at Sh30 for a kilogramme, the county cannot recoup the investment,” he said.
There is a glut of ndegu on the Kitui market and farmers want better pay. A similar problems exists in Makueni, Tharaka Nithi and Meru counties.
A kilogramme of green grams retails at Sh200 at all the leading supermarkets — five times more than
the Sh40 average price offered to farmers by brokers.
Agriculture ministry statistics show the average national annual consumption is 130,000 tonnes, while the domestic supply is 103,234. Kenya has been importing green grams from Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Ethiopia and DRC.