West Pokot Governor John Lonyangapuo called for the deportation of his Deputy from the United States to Kenya on Monday, June 8.
Speaking to reporters, Lonyangapuo called for US President Donald Trump to facilitate the deportation of Nicholas Owon Atudonyang who practices as a neurosurgeon in Texas.
Lonyangapuo had long defended the absence of his Deputy even when he was grilled by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) in March, stating that his Deputy was not earning a salary and was pursuing various partnerships for the county.
Now, the Governor claims that Atudonyang is part of a team fighting him that also includes Tiaty MP William Kamket, West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio and Kenya African National Union (KANU) Secretary-General Nick Salat.
"No wonder this idiot ran away from West Pokot, now I know why he moved to Texas in America.
"In fact, Trump should deport him as soon as possible. We have been thinking he has various challenges, we keep telling people he will come back, but he is actually killing the county," he stated.
He accused top KANU leaders including Salat of encroaching on his turf by interfering in West Pokot county politics.
Lonyangapuo claimed that the team fighting him had branded itself 'third force' and had a fist as its symbol, claiming they were seeking to wrestle control of the county for selfish gains.
He accused the team of seeking to influence the appointment of a new County Public Service Board, in addition to opposing changes in the County Assembly meant to ensure his agenda succeeds.
Lonyangapuo demanded that the leaders keep off West Pokot county politics, asserting that they were interfering with important development programs.
He further accused the leaders including the Deputy Governor for pushing ethnic agendas by blocking contracts and positions awarded to individuals from communities other than the Pokot.
Lonyangapuo showed messages from a Whatsapp group chat where Atudonyang expressed support for the blocking of awarding of contracts to non-Pokots.
The Governor asserted that opportunities in his county were open to all Kenyans, dismissing the so-called 'third force' he accused of working to force him out.
He further questioned whether Poghisio, recently appointed Majority Leader in the Senate, would be able to focus on his new task given his alleged involvement in county politics.
Watch Lonyangapuo address reporters in the video below:
{"preview_thumbnail":"/files/styles/video_embed_wysiwyg_preview/public/video_thumbnails/X8Tn2eYF16k.jpg?itok=qvZsdUYS","video_url":"","settings":{"responsive":1,"width":"854","height":"480","autoplay":0},"settings_summary":["Embedded Video (Responsive)."]}
