Oparanya Praised for Oxygen Project in Kakamega [VIDEO]

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya adressing the media after the Council of Governors meeting on
Former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya addressing the media after the Council of Governors meeting in 2020.
File

Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya revealed a multi-million Oxygen plant project that the county government has commissioned, bringing the much-needed Oxygen to thousands of patients. 

In a video clip shared on Saturday, April 10, Oparanya said that the county now has two oxygen plants at Kakamega County General Hospital with the capacity of producing 300 and 250 liters of oxygen per minute.

The completion of the project comes at a time when Healthcare facilities in Kenya have become overwhelmed with the shortage of oxygen due to the rising cases of Covid-19 infections.  

On April 8, the government unveiled the Oxygen Taskforce which was tasked with developing a plan on how the Oxygen shortage can be mitigated. 

A section of the Oxygen Plant in Kakamega County General Hospital
A section of the Oxygen Plant in Kakamega County General Hospital
File

After revealing the plant, Kenyans responded with positive feedback while others called upon other county bosses to emulate Oparanya's dedication to serving citizens.

Member of Parliament for the East African Legislative Assembly, Abdikadir Aden congratulated the governor saying that he had set a perfect example for other leaders to follow. 

“Well done governor. Kakamega has truly set the bar high for putting in place sustainable health care facilities," Aden tweeted. 

The governor was also praised by Nation Media Group journalist Leon Lidigu who drew a comparison between Kakamega and other international cities.   

"My governor has transformed Kakamega town into a super clean & polished city like Paris ...when I returned after 4 years I almost got lost.

“In fact, what keeps me awake nowadays is who will take over Kakamega after his term expires," said Lidigu.

The former Council of Governors chairperson was also praised by some of Kakamega residents who said that his passion for development goes back to when he was a member of Parliament. 

Denis Kubondo argued that even if the governor changed his mind about vying for the gubernatorial post, they would have voted him in as an MP as long as his interest remained the same. 

“Oparanya did a lot of development in his Butere constituency when he was the MP. He built schools, roads etc. Oparanya was voted because he was the right man for Kakamega, and if the seat would have been more than two terms trust people would have voted for him over and over," Kubindo said.

Oparanya also took his time to respond to some of the questions raised by residents who were advising him on what he should not turn his focus onto. 

"Making Kakamega Great again. The only thing we are remaining with is to sort the sewer lines Kacwasco. My prayer is if you can revive the two sewage scheme areas (Site and Service Phase 2) Nabongo-scheme area will be better," Andez advised the governor.

The governor's praises come at a time when he has expressed an interest in joining the 2022 State House race.

On April first, Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party announced that Oparanya was one of the party members who had submitted their application to be considered as the party's flag beares.  

According to ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, the National Executive Council (NEC) and the National Delegates Conference (NDC) will decide on who will represent ODM in the 2022 general elections.  

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