A supremacy battle is brewing in Kakamega county after incoming Deputy Governor Ayub Savula claimed that he is an equal to the governor-elect, Fernandes Barasa.
Speaking on Sunday, September 11, Savula rubbished reports that he had ditched his gubernatorial bid to settle for second fiddle by supporting Barasa, who was Azimio's candidate.
He disclosed the deal he was offered to shelve his bid, which would see him manage half the county government. The vocal ex-MP argued that he was a co-governor.
"I am not a deputy governor, I am a co-governor.
"Do not let anyone tell you that I settled for deputy, that is a white lie. Barasa and I agreed that we would share the government fifty-fifty, he has takes half, I take half," he clarified.
Savula dug deeper into the agreement, intimating that the power-sharing deal would see him appoint half of the members of the County Executive Committee. The former Lugari lawmaker called on Barasa to emulate president-elect William Ruto and keep his promise.
"According to the county constitution Kakamega has ten ministries. Barasa will appoint five and I will appoint five," the former Lugari lawmaker alleged.
His claims come days after admitting that he was coerced to ditch the Kenya Kwanza alliance for Raila Odinga's Azimio la Umoja coalition party. He alleged that he was threatened with prosecution over graft.
Naturally, remarks on why he joined Azimio appeared to have rubbed Raila Odinga's footsoldiers the wrong way.
In a quick rejoinder, ODM's Communication Director Philip Etale told off Savula, referring to him as a mole who never supported Raila.
"To be honest, Savula has never been a member of ODM. In fact after quitting ANC in his own volition, he joined DAP-K, which was part of Azimio. To claim he was coerced to support Raila, is a horrific hallucination," Etale clapped back.
In the run-up to the August 9 elections, Odinga's ODM and DAP-K of Wafula Wamunyinyi brokered a deal that saw Savula shelve his gubernatorial bid. This was to stop sibling rivalry that would have handed Kenya Kwanza's Cleophas Malalah easy win.
With Savula and Barasa yet to be sworn-in, it is is evident that the road ahead could be bumpy, with their political house almost on fire. A frosty relationship between the former lawmaker and the career executive would mirror what the country has witnessed before since the advent of devolved governments in 2013.
In Nairobi county, Polycarp Igathe quit over unbearable working terms relationship with his then boss Mike Sonko. Consequently, Mike Sonko ran the county without a deputy for two years owing to ambiguities in the constitution in replacing a deputy governor.
Nyeri county also suffered the same fate after governor Mutahi Kahiga and his deputy Dr Caroline Karugu fell out.
Currently, the constitution has not clearly defined the roles of Deputy Governors other than to step in, in the absence of the county bosses.
