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Governors explain poor show in recent survey

Friday, October 30th, 2020 00:00 | By
Taita Taveta Governor Granton Samboja at a past event. Photo/PD-FILE

A survey ranking the performance of the country’s 47 governors and county governments drew mixed reactions from several county chiefs.

Several governors interviewed expressed misgivings about the survey, conducted by the Infotrak Research and Consulting firm, saying the outcome did not capture the development so far achieved in their respective counties.

The survey, released on Wednesday, ranked Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya as the best performing county chief followed by Kwale’s Salim Mvurya, Makueni’s Kivutha Kibwana and Kisumu’s Anyang’ Nyong’o, respectively.

But speaking separately to People Daily, several governors including Granton Samboja (Taita Taveta), Dhadho Godana (Tana River) and James Nyoro (Kiambu) protested the research’s findings, saying the research was conducted at a time some of the governors were facing political challenges in their respective counties. As for Nyoro it was done before he assumed the helm in Kiambu.

The governors said a lot of projects have been initiated in their respective counties but which were not captured in the survey.

A past survey had ranked some counties such as Makueni lowly owing to wrangles between MCAs and the governor but ranked highly in the current survey released on Wednesday after the differences were resolved.

In the case of Taita Taveta, Samboja explained the survey was conducted at a time the county government was staring at a dissolution following differences between MCAs and the county executive.

County government dissolved

Through his aide, Wilfred Mwalimo, Samboja said six months since resolving the differences that threatened to have the county government dissolved, a lot of development projects running into hundreds of millions of shillings have been initiated.

“In about six months we have been able to initiate projects estimated at between Sh300 million and 400 million touching on water, dispensaries and stadium,” he said.

“The whole of last year, the county government was in a dissolution mood, during the first, second and part of third quarter no projects were initiated,” he said.

The projects include the construction of various stadiums such as Moi Stadium and Wundanyi Stadium, one of which will host the opening match of the Kenya premier league pitting Gor Mahia and Sofapaka.”

Others include the Nyangoro Mwakitau project worth Sh77 million, Kiziki Water project and Mazola water projects, which are the first in the county since independence, a new Cancer Centre at the Moi Referral Hospital in Voi, a new outpatient bloc as well as various dispensaries.

His administration has also initiated key road projects in the county.

On his part, Nyoro said the survey, which rated his county among the worst in the country, was conducted during the term of impeached governor Ferdinand Waititu.

He said Waititu’s was a rogue administration that not only lacked governance structures but also failed to give budgetary allocations to key areas such as agriculture.

“I should not be talking about a survey that was done when the former Governor was in office, but the reality is that we have achieved a lot over the past nine months which is yet to be captured in any survey,” Nyoro said.

In a phone interview with People Daily yesterday, Nyoro said since taking the oath of office, he has changed the county’s trajectory for the better.

And later speaking in Ruaka Kiambaa sub county after presiding over the handing over of 68 housing units by Cytonn Investments Management, Nyoro said his administration had since initiated many development projects across the county.

“Our health situation in the county is 100 to 120 times better than it was during the time the survey was carried out.

In matters agriculture, we have used over Sh100 million to finance farming activities which was not done previously,” Nyoro said.

Falsely accused

In Trans Nzoia, Governor Patrick Khaemba said those criticising his development record are the same people who had falsely accused him of corruption and fought him since his election in 2013.

Godhana on his part questioned the source of the data used to compile the survey saying nobody in the county was interviewed.

Through the county communications director Steve Juma, Godhana termed the survey “a scam”.

“This report is a scam, the Infotrak should clearly explain to us who they interviewed, they did not talk to anybody, so we strongly dispute it because we have done development,” said Juma.

Lamu Governor Fahim Twaha declined to comment on the survey saying he was yet to see its contents.

Governor Twaha has been rated number 16 after scoring 48.6 per cent in the poll results.

“I don’t know anything about the rating, but I will get back to you after a meeting I am attending,” Twaha Told People Daily through the phone.

Mvurya, whose county was rated as the second best behind Kakamega, expressed satisfaction with the performance index rating saying it was spot on. 

“We are fully satisfied with the rating because education has been a priority to Kwale county and the residents can confirm.

We spend about Sh400 million annually to fully sponsor learners both in university, colleges and high schools,” said the communications Director Daniel Nyassy.

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