Moses Wetang'ula has urged EACC chairman Eliud Wabukala to arrest Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka over the Sh1.09 million wheelbarrow scandal.
The county bought 10 wheelbarrows, hailed as non-carcinogenic, at a cost of Sh109,000 each.
Uproar by residents and investigations followed, leading to charges against eight county workers.
Read more:
Also read:
But Wetang'ula, who is
Bungoma Senator and Ford Kenya party leader, said going after junior officials linked to the 2015 scandal was a waste of time.
He said the Governor
should be held responsible for any loss of funds in the case.
"I want to tell Wabukala that here in Bungoma, arresting junior officers and excluding Lusaka is a useless job," he said.
He
urged Wabukala to firmly deal with the runaway corruption in the county, before going for those concerning the Eurobond and Standard Gauge Railway.
Wetang'ula accused Lusaka of failing to protect taxpayer's money and "presiding over looting" of county cash.
"Lusaka is the county boss... He has the mandate to protect and ensure county funds are not stolen," he said.
"If an inspector has sent a constable to harm people, do you get the constable to jail or the inspector?" he asked, in reference to the Governor.
He spoke at Posta Grounds at the weekend
during a voter registration campaign, that ODM leader Raila Odinga also attended.
The Senator claimed further claimed the Governor dissolved New Ford Kenya party for Jubilee Party to seek protection its leaders.
"We all know he has run to hide in Jubilee with his fellow thieves, thinking they will protect him," Wetang'ula said.
He told Lusaka that he can run and hide but will not evade the long arm of the law.
Accusing Lusaka of failing the people, Wetang'ula said the war on graft must begin in counties and that this can only happen if residents vote in leaders with integrity.
But the Governor dismissed Wetang'ula saying he was not responsible for the loss of funds in the wheelbarrow scandal.
He termed the remarks malicious and outrageous.
"I was the whistle-blower who informed the EACC leading to the arrest of the eight officers," he said, adding he also asked for an audit on the procurement of the wheelbarrows.
He said the Senator should not mislead the public by maligning him and spreading lies, and should focus instead on his presidential campaign.
Read:
Also read:
Wetang'ula also told Western residents to register in large numbers during the 30-day listing which kicked off on January 16 in preparation for the August 8 general election.
He said Bungoma was in a position to post more than a
million votes by the close of the mass registration on February 14.
''We must have enough votes in Kakamega (1.2 million), Busia (600,000), Vihiga (500,000) and Trans Nzoia (700,000)," he said.