National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has defended President William Ruto on the implementation of the re-election agreement with leaders from Western ahead of the 2022 general election, saying the opposition is spreading falsehoods for political gains.
Wetang’ula said that claims by opposition figures that President Ruto had failed to honour the pact that promised Western region would get 30 per cent of government appointments and development projects were misleading.
Wetang’ula instead said that the region had benefited significantly from the Kenya Kwanza government, despite not delivering full support to President Ruto during the election.
“The Western region did not give the President the numbers we had agreed on, but he still honoured the region through key appointments and development projects,” said Wetang’ula.
He said that the region only delivered 20 per cent of its votes to Ruto.
"The bulk of the 20 per cent votes came from Bungoma county, which gave the president 69 per cent of the total votes cast, Kakamega 10 per cent, Busia 5 per cent, Vihiga 15 per cent and Trans-Nzoia 30 per cent. So it is not true that we agreed on a pact, we delivered, and it was not honoured,” he said.
The speaker made the remarks during a church service at St. Francis Miyanga Catholic Church in Bumula Constituency, Bungoma County on Sunday.
Opposition leaders Kalonzo Musyoka and Rigathi Gachagua claimed during their tour of Western a week ago that the region had been short-changed despite supporting the Kenya Kwanza alliance during the 2022 General Election.
Gachagua alleged that the pact in which the Western region was promised 30 per cent representation in government, including Cabinet and Principal Secretary positions, had not been fully implemented, urging residents to guard against repeated unfulfilled political promises.
But Wetang’ula cited his appointment as National Assembly Speaker and Musalia Mudavadi as Prime Cabinet Secretary, Cabinet Secretaries Wycliffe Oparanya (Co-operatives) and Deborah Barasa, alongside eight Principal Secretaries from the region, as proof that the region was not sidelined as claimed.
“As a region, we have received major government positions despite the low numbers we delivered in the election,” he said.
Bumula MP Jack Wamboka had been criticised for abandoning promises made to Western Kenya leaders during the formation of the Kenya Kwanza alliance at the same service.
Wamboka claimed that major development projects and senior government appointments were being directed to the Nyanza region at the expense of Western Kenya.
The MP said he would continue pushing for the region to receive what he termed as its fair share of government appointments and development projects.
But Wetang’ula said that the Western region had benefited more under President Ruto’s administration than previous governments, saying several projects that had stalled under the previous administration have been revived by the Kenya Kwanza government.
He cited the Misikhu-Brigadier Road and the Musikoma-Sang’alo-Kakamega Road as some of the projects where contractors had already resumed work.
Wetang’ula also highlighted ongoing construction of roads, markets, affordable housing units, hospitals, schools and stadiums across the region as proof that the government was delivering development.
