Leaders from the Western region have held a consultative meeting with Cabinet Secretaries as they seek to discuss issues of development affecting the region, the first meeting between the leaders from the region and members of the Executive. Western leaders, including MPs, were led by Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa, Kakamega Governor and Council of Governor chairperson Wycliffe Oparanya, Vihiga Governor Wilber Otichilo and Busia Governor Sospeter Ojaamong. The CSs were represented by Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, Agriculture CS Peter Munya and Water CS Sicily Kariuki. Speaking after the meeting, Governor Oparanya said they discussed various issues which included stalled projects in the region, “Quite a number of projects started in the past are not moving. We wanted to engage the Executive to see how the projects can be progressed,” said Oparanya. He said the leaders also discussed new projects to be undertaken in the region, citing the granite factory in Vihiga and the gold factory in Kakamega.
The contents of the 2020/2021 national budget in regards to the region were also discussed and also the state of agriculture, which is a foundation for the economy, “We wanted to know what is in the budget for the region.” Further, the leaders discussed the trail of destruction caused by the floods in the Counties of the former Western province and the help they’ll receive from the national government as a region with an economic recovery fund of Kshs 53 billion set aside by President Uhuru Kenyatta.
On his part, Interior CS Fred Matiang’i said 30% of road projects in Western Kenya are being reassigned since the contractors assigned earlier abandoned the contracts because of their insufficiency or other challenges, “Funds are no longer the problem…the National Treasury released over Kshs 30 billion in the last two weeks alone to pay pending bills particularly in the road construction sector,” he added. The CS said contractors not only in Western are still depending on old tricks to navigate through the the sectors, including bribing. He said going forward the government officials will move to the ground, “As we navigate the challenges of Covid-19, we will do more of our work in the field and meet with the leaders in the field and we will not accept cases where people are lying to us,” he said, noting that contractors may lie that the projects are nearing completion yet they aren’t. Another meeting is set to be held in July in Western.