- Onyonka railed the governor for exploiting his silence to 'orchestrate serious and worrying political wrongs in his administration.'
- In an exclusive interview with the Star on Thursday, Onyonka described the Arati government as a 'political mistake for the Kisii community.'
Image: FILE
Kisii Senator Richard Onyonka has officially severed ties with Governor Simba Arati.
Onyonka railed the governor for exploiting his silence to 'orchestrate serious and worrying political wrongs in his administration.'
In an exclusive interview with the Star on Thursday, Onyonka described the Arati government as a 'political mistake for the Kisii community.'
"It definitely is, if you judge by the shameful on goings there," he said.
The senator said unless Arati begins to heed advice, he has moved on.
"Due to these issues, I feel I have no capacity to continue my political partnership with the governor," Onyonka said.
"If he changes and agrees to consult widely on how he is going to govern us, I will be willing to to continue my relationship with him. Failure to which, I will immediately dissociate myself from him and his politics."
Onyonka was among those who vigorously campaigned for Arati, and who played a key role in propping the former Dagoreti North MP to power.
He however, accuses the county boss of fighting even his own people who overwhelmingly voted for him.
The governor has slowly become ungovernable, Onyonka said.
"I have tried severally to tell him that his style of administration is not sitting well with our people. I've told him he must slow his hand and mouth but to no avail," he said.
Onyonka's disappointment comes amid the shameful parading of staff in the guise of the governor executing a staff audit.
Arati has since defended the exercise.
He said he came to office on a reformist agenda and must act to "weed out ghost and lethargic staff," to save cash for development.
The administration is targeting to slash off about 800 people or more depending on the outcome of an audit.
Arati has already forwarded certificates for the 4,700 staff to the Kenya National Examination Council for cross checking.
The exercise will cost the tax payer Sh7 million.
"It is still a revision down from the Sh14 million the examination body wanted to charge," the governor said during a recent function.
On Tuesday, he told staff with fake papers to begin packing ahead of the release of the findings of the audit query.
During a function, the governor said he is weathering many threats, some of them bordering on witchcraft, as he reorganises his administration.
On Thursday, Onyonka, however said his relationship with Arati has to come to an end.
He said he was pained by the assault on two former UDA bloggers - Dalfant Nyatige and Job Oyugi at the governor's office Tuesday evening.
Onyonka said the incident brings to light glaring challenges facing Kisii since Arati took over from governor James Ongwae.
He said hundreds of staff, some from his Abagetutu clan, have been requesting for his intervention to tame the indefatigable governor from harassing them.
"I have always asked him to go easy and stop castigating and shaming his staff to no avail. He has not changed. I have also frequently asked Arati to be fair to everybody who is in the county,"Onyonka said.
"He has instead constantly complained, or pointed a finger on them as if they did not vote for him."
The senator said it pains him that Arati now targets people who elected him.
"We made sure that the largest votes he got, were from my backyard. It has always made me sad and pained that the people who gave Arati the largest number of votes have felt his wrath the most," he said.
Onyonka said he has received several complaints and his friends have not been spared either.
He told the governor that the people who voted for them must be treated with respect because they are their employers.
"We are not gods," Onyonka said.
Other political leaders from his political backyard also weighed in saying they had backed out on the governor.
Kitutu Chache North Japhet Nyakundi called for a re-evaluation of his people's relationship with Arati.
"I think it is clearly dawning on us that we need to review the engagement we are having with him, we are not going to be bystanders," he told the Star.
Former ANC gubernatorial candidate Charles Matoke also took a jibe at Arati saying his style of leadership was sinking the county.
"I join the majority of Kisii residents who are unhappy today and who have expressed disappointment in the handling of some individuals perceived to be opposed to your political affiliation," he said.
Matoke said Arati should know the governor is a symbol of county unity.
He said by now he should know there is no Kenya Kwanza or Azimio in the aspirations of Kisii people.
"There is only a desire for the prosperity of Kisii. There is profit in dissenting voices if well interpreted," Matoke said.
Kitutu Chache South MP Anthony Kibagendi told Arati to end his "dalliance with goonism" and begin serving the people.
South Mugirango MP and chief whip Sylivanus Osoro said he will bring a motion of censure to the National Assembly to discuss the governor's conduct.
"I have already begun drafting it and it is likely be brought to the House any time from today," he said.
Meanwhile police in Kisii said investigations into the assault of the two staffers outside Arati's office on Tuesday have gathered pace.
A senior officer said by Thursday morning they were still following useful leads that may lead to the arrest of the three thugs captured attacking the two.
The attack on Dalfant Nyatige and Job Oyugi occurred shortly after Arati had met them and extended an olive branch.
A Kisii assembly nominee also sustained injuries after the same thugs roughed her up for raising alarm as the two were being clobbered.
She spoke of seeing death coming during the brush with the goons.
Edna Kwamboka said she was among the group of MCA's caught up in the melee where two were roughed up.
She said she is luck to be alive.
"I saw death knocking. I thank God they spared my life and I live to tell this story," Kwamboka said.
She said the goons turned on her for frustrating the governor.
"It happened so fast and I had to squeeze myself among other male MCA's to escape their wrath," she said.
Kwamboka suffered injuries to the chest and abdomen during the scuffle.
She said she checked into Hema Hospital on Wednesday morning where she is receiving treatment.
Masimba and Gesusu MCAs Bouse Mairura and Anthony Onkundi who visited her condemned the incident.