Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa has called on President William Ruto to either discipline or remove Co-operatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, accusing him of engaging too much in politics instead of focusing on his government role.
Speaking during a church service in Kakamega on Sunday, September 14, Barasa said Oparanya has been using Members of Parliament and other leaders to show his dissatisfaction with his current position in government.
According to him, the CS should stop playing local politics and concentrate on serving Kenyans through his ministry.
Barasa further said that if Oparanya feels unhappy with his job, the president should consider replacing him with someone willing to deliver.
“This CS thinks he can come here every day and disturb us. We are tired, and we want to tell the president that if he cannot perform, then it is better he is removed. That seat was meant to unite us, not divide us,” Barasa stated.
The governor claimed Oparanya has been sending MPs to push the president to give him the Treasury docket instead of the Co-operatives Ministry.
He warned that such behavior is causing unnecessary political tension in Kakamega and within the ODM party.
“You were given a job in the Broad-Based Government to unite Western Kenya, but instead you are using it to bring confusion. That is embarrassing to us,” Barasa said.
Oparanya, who was appointed as Co-operatives CS in August 2024 during Ruto’s cabinet reshuffle, had earlier spoken in Kakamega on Saturday, September 13.
He criticized the fights within the ODM party in the county, saying they were damaging the party’s image and could weaken its preparations for the 2027 General Elections.
The CS, while affirming his loyalty to ODM, opposed the recent election of the Kakamega county ODM chair. He claimed the process was irregular and against party rules.
“I only stepped down from ODM leadership because I wanted some rest, but I am still a member. By law, I cannot be a CS and hold an ODM office,” Oparanya explained.
He added that ODM has had clear election procedures since 2005 and that what happened in Kakamega was unusual and unacceptable.
By Kenyans