Nandi County Senator has disputed Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o’s assertions that President William Ruto’s administration is determined to dismantle devolution.
The Senator took to social media shortly after Nyong’o made a statement expressing the remarks, shifting blame for failing devolution to governors like Nyong’o.
In his statement, he asked the governor to discuss the issue with his colleagues governors on the Council of Governors, whom he claimed were responsible for corruption, bad development, and desire for county finances.In a statement dated April 22, Nyong’o clarified who should oversee the Roads Maintenance Levy Fund (RMLF), which President William Ruto has requested.
The RMLF, through a council, provides billions of dollars to the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and Kenya Rural Roads Authority (KeRRA), among others, for the building of rural, urban, and constituency roads.
As a result, MPs are using KeRRA to develop roads in their areas without the involvement of county administrations, which is one of their key missions.Nyong’o stated that counties should take over management in order for devolution to be used effectively.
He went on to suggest that the national government was incapable of administering entities already assigned to it, such as the Kenyatta National Hospital.
“The truth is that the Ruto regime has decided to go back to pre-devolution times of the Nyayo era,” Nyong’o stated.
“The 2010 constitution is a hindrance to its primitive accumulation schemes, which will affect not only devolution but the very ethos of building a national democratic and developmental state.”The Governor continued.
“The Council of Governors and all progressive forces in our republic need to be aware of this fact and to resist it by all means necessary.
“The achievements of the Second Liberation must not be destroyed by this regime.” Speaking in Ntulele on Sunday, President Ruto hinted at addressing the issue of road repair.
Ruto maintained that delegating to the national government would eliminate conflicting responsibilities and ensure proper resource management.
Nyong’o is the second Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) governor to openly criticize President Ruto since the party signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA) last month.
His Siaya counterpart, James Orengo, has repeatedly pushed ODM supporters not to be scared to fight for their rights, culminating in rallies in Bondo on Sunday demanding his resignation.
“I cannot be a praise-singer. We fought for a democratic constitution where people should speak freely,” Orengo asserted in one of his addresses.
“I urge Kenyans to tell their leaders the truth. This country will go to the dogs again if the kind of language we hear continues.”He added: “If anything is brought to Siaya County, it will be as a matter of right, not as a favour. There is a need to battle for your rights, and you will still have a better country.”
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