This archive report was first published on 29 November 2019.
West Pokot CAS Embroiled in Gubernatorial Politics ¶
Simon Kachapin, the Chief Administrative Secretary in the Ministry of Energy, has found himself in a difficult situation after a group of youths at Makutano heckled him in public for engaging in early campaigns.
As a former West Pokot governor, Kachapin was defeated by John Lonyangapuo in the 2017 polls. His camp claims the governor bought youth to heckle him, fearing he is gaining ground and is the man to watch in 2022.
On November 29, 2019, the group of unruly youths asked President Uhuru Kenyatta to admonish Kachapin for engaging in dirty politics and going against the order of the president, which prohibits cabinet ministers from engaging in politics.
Kachapin has been launching streetlights in the county to gain publicity, despite this activity being the function of the county government headed by his nemesis, Governor Lonyangapuo.
During a function at Makutano, Kachapin faced resistance from locals who accused him of being used by a certain presidential aspirant to advance his presidential ambitions.
The youths at Makutano who disrupted the meeting accused the CAS of fighting Governor Lonyangapuo.
They asked Kachapin to stop tainting the name of the West Pokot county government to gain political mileage.
Locals say the CAS is paying a section of MCAs in collusion with the third force comprising of Senator Samuel Poghisho, county speaker Catherine Mukenyang, and deputy governor Nicholas Atudonyang to fight the county boss.
They said Kachapin is promoting tribalism in the county after he and other leaders paid some MCAs to shoot down the name of the public service board nominee secretary because the said nominee did not come from West Pokot county.
“The officer merited the job. Besides, there is no other qualified person in the county who applied but the members of the county assembly were compromised to refuse the name of the nominee on tribal grounds,” said a youth leader.
