The rivalry between Kitui Governor Charity Ngilu and Senator Enock Wambua over 2022 politics on Monday played out during the Senate’s first day in the county.
Senators led by Speaker Kenneth Lusaka are pitching camp in the county for a week for the second Senate Mashinani session.
The House will be transacting all its businesses, including the plenary and committee sittings from there.
The bad blood between the two top county leaders manifested itself when the senator snubbed a tour of the Kitui County Textiles.
Lusaka led a team of senators to the factory which is one of Ngilu’s flagship projects. She gave the senators a tour of the facility.
Sources disclosed that Wambua had opposed the visit and attempted to persuade his colleagues not to visit the premise on grounds it was set up illegally. But Lusaka overruled him insisting the Senate was not in the county for 2022 politics.
MCAs had declined to approve the Kitui County Corporations Bill to legalise the Sh168 million factory which currently employs more than 400 people.
Wambua said he snubbed the visit because the establishment of the facility is not factored in law.
"My position on it is very clear. It is an illegality and I have no business going there. The Auditor General has raised an audit query on its establishment. That is a place you should not expect to find me," he said.
The factory is situated at Syongila market, about four kilometres from Kitui town along the Kitui–Nairobi Highway. It is modelled like the Export Processing Zone garment industrial unit and will run for 24 hours on shifts.
Wambua has set his eyes on Ngilu’s seat and has kicked off groundwork to dislodge the veteran politician.
Wambua is said to fear that the project would give the governor political points and jeopardise his chances of unseating her.
Addressing journalists after the tour of the factory, Lusaka gave the project a thumbs-up, saying they were invited to the facility by the governor.
The speaker urged both arms of the county government put in place the necessary legal mechanisms to ensure the project operates without hindrance.
“County governments are there to create an enabling environment for industrialisation. I think with time, you will want to look for a partner who can invest in such projects,” he said.
Ngilu said the establishment of the factory was top on her agenda to create jobs for the thousands of jobless youth in the county.
“We had five key pillars including health, job creation and health provision. We have implemented and we intend to start more in various parts of the county,” the governor said.
Edited by R.Wamochie
