This archive report was first published on 5 August 2020.
On Sunday, ODM West Pokot County chair Joseph Akaule led a delegation to Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya's home in Lumakanda, Kakamega. The visit came as Oparanya denied claims of a growing rift with his deputy Philip Kutima over 2022 succession politics.
According to Oparanya, the speculations of a fallout between him and Prof Kutima are baseless and misplaced. He emphasized that he and his deputy have built a solid track record of working closely together in harmony.
“Kutima and I have built a solid track record of working closely together in harmony and supporting each other with a view to actualizing our political campaign manifesto and the county development agenda as laid out in the County Integrated Development Plan and other development plans and strategies,” said the governor.
Speculations had been rife that Oparanya could have intended to cut his deputy to size in recent cabinet changes that saw Prof Kutima stripped off the lucrative Agriculture docket. However, the county boss insists that the changes were the outcome of continuous engagement and consultations between himself and Prof Kutima in furthering the interests of the county.
On August 5, 2020, Oparanya's chief of staff Robert Sumbi revealed that Prof Kutima would be well engaged since the governor was involved more in national duties. “Following my added responsibilities at the national level, Kutima will shoulder greater supervisory responsibility than ever before which can better be effected when he unloads some of the responsibilities like being a CEC of a ministry.”
