James Ongwae, a former governor of Kisii County, has advised members of the County Assembly to closely monitor Simba Arati, his successor, claiming he has not handled the county's affairs appropriately.
Ongwae accused Arati of targeting county employees from the Abagetutu clan, claiming he had sacked the bulk of individuals who worked at various levels while speaking on Saturday during a church service in Rioma, Marani Sub-county.
With a list in hand, Ongwae implored the MCAs in attendance to stop the governor in his tracks, claiming he detested members of Kisii County's Abagetutu tribe.
"Before I left office I warned you that this person would defile our beautiful county. I told you he would leave the county in a very bad state but not many listened to me. Now you can see what he is doing especially to the Abagetutu. I want to ask you MCAs present here, can you please keep check on this person and ensure he doesn't defile our county further?" Ongwae said.
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Rioma is the former governor's backyard from Kitutu Chache North.
Along with a plethora of other dignitaries, Ezekiel Machogu, the cabinet secretary for education, Kisii County woman representative Doris Donya Aburi, and Kitutu Chache North MP Japtheth Nyakundi were also present during the ceremony.
MP Nyakundi praised Ongwae as a visionary leader who assisted many people while in power. He disclosed that Ongwae had assisted him in launching his first company, which allowed him to expand and eventually become an MP.
Despite stark differences, Ongwae and Arati, who were both members of the ODM party, had a significant falling out during the campaigns running up to the August 2022 general election.
Arati vowed to reveal all the wrongdoings that Ongwae had done during his ten years as governor, accusing him of mismanaging the county.
Ongwae, on his part, advised the people of Kisii not to choose Arati as their next leader since he was not the proper candidate. He said that Kisii County would be abandoned to the dogs if Arati were elected governor, pointing to the campaign season's mayhem.
In contrast to Ongwae's leadership, the people chose Arati with a resounding majority.
