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Former Kisii County Governor James Ongwae made an appeal to President William Ruto on behalf of the Lower Nyanza region three months after ditching ODM.
In a press release dated Sunday, February 12, Ongwae assured Ruto of his firm support and invited him to visit the region whenever he pleased.
The former county chief vowed to mobilise other leaders from the region to support him because he believed that the Head of State harboured good plans for the people of the region.
Former Kisii Governor James Ongwae meeting President-elect William Ruto in Karen on Friday, September 9, 2022.
Twitter
William Ruto
“The president left a lot of goodies in their region not to mention the many projects he initiated. We condemn any attempt to cause uneasiness with the aim of derailing the visit.
“Omogusii is interested in developmental projects that will address the needs of more than 1.2 million people living within the diminishing land size,” the letter read in part.
Ongwae further lauded the inclusion of his community in the government through the appointment of Ezekiel Machogu as the Cabinet Secretary (CS) for Education.
He rallied other leaders from the region to rally behind their own despite the backlash over the announcement of the Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE) results.
On the flip side, he sent a stern warning to the Azimio coalition party against staging their public engagement fora in the region.
“I urge and plead with our leaders and people not to accept any shenanigans that are meant to paint our community as rebellious and to disadvantage our region from receiving the much-planned developmental projects,” he wrote.
Ongwae called on Kenyans to exercise a lot of discernment especially in the current political landscape hitting out at former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i.
He claimed that the alleged raid at his home as stage-managed to divert the country from the government’s plan to ease the economic situation in the country.
Ongwae ditched ODM in November 2022 citing ill-treatment by the party through political patronage by individuals whom he accused of sidelining the region.
Former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i, ODM leader Raila Odinga, and Former Governor James Ongwae at a fundraiser in Mwongori High School in Kisii County on October 22, 2021.
CS Fred Matiang’i Twitter
