Kisii Deputy Governor Obebo booed as Ongwae confronts boss over lethargy
Former Kisii Governor James Ongwae.
Kisii Deputy Governor Elijah Obebo had difficulty time Thursday convincing a livid electorate in Bobasi that their government was working.
Efforts to cite a list of what Governor Simba Arati has done in his two years in office was met with murmurs of disapproval.
Obebo had stood up after former Kisii Governor James Ongwae lashed out on Arati telling him to own up to his failures.
He said Arati was good at rhetoric and blame games and had been sanitising himself by dragging Ongwae’s name to every of his failures.
Two and half years in office, stated Ongwae leaves no room for a “whining governor eternally bent on rhetoric and blame games” instead of delivering meaningful development to the people.
Like a lazy farmer, said Ongwae, Arati was constantly shifting blame to his tools of work for his failures.
“Typical of every bad farmer some people have this habit of finding faulty with their jembes when they cannot dig properly,” Ongwae stated.
The former county boss was speaking during the burial of his former security aide Peter Osugo at Nyansongo area in Bobasi.
“I was a governor for the ten years and established a government from scratch, I left everything there and retired from that office with my head high.”
“It bothers me full time that one is dragging my name to things he has failed to do. The secret lies in him concentrating and doing his work, dragging my name into your failures won’t help,” fumed a livid Ongwae.
Ongwae and Arati have had a love and hate relationship for years from the campaigns.
The former governor was pitching for a different candidate to be Kisii Governor at the time.
“Unnecessary distractions and empty noise are unhelpful at the moment and will not move you forward, just do your bit as a leader,” Ongwae told Arati.
Leadership was about service, not constant complaints and shifting of blamed, he added.
“The people of Kisii want roads, better healthcare, access to water—not political noise and blame games,” Ongwae said.
Obebo hit back amid l loud jeers from mourners.
“You should also leave us alone,” he told Ongwae
“We have done roads which were not there, we are issuing bursaries, the government of Arati is steady and firm.”
There were loud murmurs of disapproval, however from the hundreds of mourners who had turned up to mourn Osugo.
Ongwae, vehemently defended his track record, citing key infrastructural projects and investments initiated during his tenure.
“The current leadership must stop pointing fingers. They have the resources and goodwill. It’s time to get to work and deliver,” he added.
The late Osugo died of diabetic related complications a fortnight ago.