Governor George Natembeya signs a condolence book during a funeral in Trans Nzoia countyTrans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has dismissed last week's visit of French President Emmanuel Macron, saying it was a public relations exercise that will not benefit the country.
Natembeya claimed the visit had little to do with the Africa-Forward Summit, alleging it was being used by the Kenya Kwanza regime for under hand deals.
He said Macron was only keen on the Sh7 billion awarded to a French Consortium in penalties for termination of contract related to the Rironi-Mau Summit highway.
"France has not helped its former colonies in West Africa and cannot pretend to be helping Kenya," Natembeya said.
He spoke during the funeral service of Joina Nasike Malemo in Kiminini subcounty. Nasike is the mother to Trans Nzoia county human resource director Emelda Agoi.
Natembeya claimed over Sh7.3 billion from the Road Maintenance Levy Fund had been diverted to compensate the French firms.
The governor claimed the government inflated the cost of the revived project that has now been awarded to Chinese contractors.
Macron was in Kenya, where he co-hosted the Africa Forward Summit with President William Ruto.
It was the first such summit to be held in Anglophone Africa with the aim of resetting France's economic partnership with the continent.
The visit, according to political analysts, marked a shift from France's historical ties with Francophone West Africa to build new economic alliances in the English-speaking countries.
Natembeya also criticised the hike in fuel price, saying the war between the US and Israel on one side against Iran is not the real cause of the adjustments.
The Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority on Thursday announced new fuel prices with super petrol increasing by Sh16.65 per litre and diesel by Sh46.29 per litre.
The governor also criticised the ongoing police crackdown targeting criminal elements in Kitale town saying the government had abdicated its
role of protecting Kenyans and weaponised security agencies against unemployed youths.
"The ongoing operation by the police is not only illegal, selective and barbaric but cruel and is meant to hurt the unemployed youths christened as goons," he said.
He asked Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen to restrain the police.
