The war between Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati and Senator Moses Wetang’ula seems to be far from over.
Their feuding intensified after Wetang’ula queried the purchase of 20-litre jerrycans allegedly bought for Sh10,000 each.
Wangamati was also part of the team that staged the takeover of Ford-K in which Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi was declared the interim party leader. Also supporting the move was secretary general Eseli Simiyu. Wetang’ula and his camp contested the changes.
Since then, there is no love lost between the two. They have continued to trade accusations, with Wetang’ula at the weekend accusing the county boss of spending public funds to camp in Nairobi in the name of meeting President Uhuru Kenyatta.
The senator hit out at Wangamati for asking for a bus for the Nzoia Sugar Company football club, instead of telling the President to focus on the plight of Bungoma residents.
“I could have clapped for those who went to meet the President if they told him our problems, including the long queues of trucks on the Malaba-Webuye highway,” Wetang’ula said.
He regretted that taxpayers money was being spent in Nairobi on meetings that were non-beneficial to locals. “They are spending taxpayers money staying in five-star hotels on claims that they were waiting to meet the President, only to request a bus!” the lawmaker said.
Reacting to the accusations, however, Wangamati told the Ford Kenya party leader that the bus was not a donation from the President. The bus was only flagged off by the President after five governors from the region contributed towards its purchase, he said.
He said their meeting with the President was necessitated by their concerns to have the sugar sector revived and to ask the government to complete the Misikhu Brigadier road.
“We went to meet the President to address the problem of the sugar sector and that is why the government has waived the debts to our millers and stopped the importation of illegal sugar into the country,” the governor said.
He also attributed the gazettement of new sugar sector regulations to their meeting, saying they will promote growth.
Wangamati said Wetang’ula has nothing to show for the 28 years he has been in active politics.
“Wetang’ula has been in politics since 1992 as nominated MP, he was the chairman of Kenya Electricity Board, he has been Sirisia MP and minister and senator for two terms; what has he done in Bungoma?” he asked.
He told Wetang’ula to stop undermining him, lashing out at him that he had time to assist Bungoma people but failed. He said as a governor, his focus is county development and not unnecessary politics.