• The duo recently differed over Sakaja's intentions to eject long-distance matatus from the Nairobi Central Business District.
• Gachagua termed the move ill-intentioned and aimed at persecuting the business community from Mt. Kenya.
Image: TONY WAFULA
MPs from Western Kenya counties have called on President William Ruto to intervene and end the apparent rift between Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja.
The duo recently differed over Sakaja's intentions to eject long-distance matatus from the Nairobi Central Business District.
Gachagua termed the move ill-intentioned and aimed at persecuting the business community from Mt. Kenya.
Addressing the press on Tuesday at Hunters Paradise in Bungoma town, the leaders led by Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, the secretary to the Western Kenya Members of Parliament Caucus, faulted the DP and asked him to let Sakaja implement what he promises the people of Nairobi.
"Sakaja was elected to an office by the people of Nairobi. They expect much from him, therefore the DP should present his manifesto to the people of Nairobi," Nabii said.
The caucus also disapproved the EALA, PS and CS appointments made by the Kenya Kwanza administration saying that the Western region was shortchanged.
"Those appointments made by the Kenya Kwanza government do not represent the numbers of the Western MPs and therefore we are calling on the concerned parties including the head of State to move swiftly and take action,” Nabwera said.
Meanwhile, the caucus said it will work with the government of the day to ensure that the region reaps big in terms of development, citing the ailing sugar industries and teachers shortage in Western Kenya.
"We will not hesitate to point out the failures of the government if we feel the government is not playing its role to our expectation," the Lugari legislator added.
Nabwera faulted the government for turning a deaf ear to the Western region's ailing sugar industries and the Malakisi cotton ginnery.
He accused the President of only focusing on the Central Kenya region's industries and cash crops like miraa and tea.
"The collapse of the sugar sector in this region has greatly dragged this region behind with our combined efforts. We are going to ensure that before Ruto's regime collapses, these issues would have been resolved,” he said.
The caucus also noted that Bungoma and Kakamega counties fall among the 14 counties that have teacher shortage and have been marginalised in the teacher recruitment exercise.
They said Kakamega county has a teacher shortage of about 7,000 while Bungoma has a deficit of 2,000 tutors.
"We therefore call upon the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to ensure equity and have a marshaled plan in teacher recruitment to end the marginalisation,” Nabwera said.
The MP noted that the caucus had an extensive discussion about the Moi DEB Primary results following an outcry by parents and teachers over poor results in the just concluded KCPE exams.
They called upon the Kenya National Examination Council and the Education ministry to take up an immediate remedial plan and release the accurate results.
The school had made an appeal to the KNEC to remark exam papers from the school and avail new results.
Kanduyi MP John Makali said that the school has always led in the past national examinations.
he said a review of all the internal examination results indicate that pupils at the school have been doing well.
"The results that were given to Moi DEB primary school by the Ministry of education aren’t our real results. We ask KNEC to move with speed and give us our real results,” the MP said.
On his part, Sirisia MP John Waluke, who doubles as the chairman for the Western MPs, said that the caucus aims to restore Luhya unity that was lost since independence.
Image: TONY WAFULA