Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya on Sunday revealed that the county government had lost millions in failed youth projects in his first term.
Governor Oparanya outlined that his administration distributed the millions to various youth groups that registered with his office.
He, however, regretted that the Ksh200,000 allocation to each youth group was squandered and the groups were all dissolved.
"When I gave them money, within a short time the money had disappeared and the youth groups were no more," he explained.
[caption caption="Governor Wycliffe Oparanya"]
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The governor added that a second multi-million initiative to give paid internships to the youth failed as well, blaming corruption for the failure.
"I even tried to start a work-for-pay programme but people abused it. Youths failed to turn up for work but signed for the money through proxies," the governor outlined.
Speaking at a pre-devolution conference at Masinde Muliro University, Governor Oparaya urged the youth to be ready to work for their lives to be successful.
He encouraged the youth to take advantage of the opportunities created by the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga.
He further drummed up support for his 2022 presidential ambition stating that he had gained the required experience to tackle challenges of national interest.
"For me to be governor today, I walked a journey including standing for office as an MP 20 years ago. Now I can say I am ready to be the President of this country. I have all it takes," he stated.
Governor Oparanya will be hosting the 2018 Devolution conference in his county beginning on Monday.
[caption caption="Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya"]
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