Kakamega Deputy Governor-elect Ayub Savula has made a U-turn from claiming that he shared power equally with his boss, Fernandes Barasa, after facing a backlash.
The DAP-K deputy party leader admitted making the utterances in the circulating but claimed they were blown out of proportion and were out of context.
Savula, on Tuesday, September 13, stated that Barasa was set to lead the devolved unit and pledged his loyalty to him. He also vowed to stick to executing his duties as prescribed in the Constitution.
"I was misquoted. I did not say that I am a co-governor. The clip doing rounds on social media is not current but was recorded during the campaigns.
"The Constitution is clear. Fernandes Barasa is the governor of Kakamega, and I (Savula) is his loyal deputy," Savula maintained.
In the clip that went viral, the former Lugari Member of Parliament (MP) spilt the details of an alleged deal brokered by ODM leader Raila Odinga to lure him into the Azimio One Kenya.
He claimed that Barasa was to split the county government into two. The incoming county deputy intimated that he would be entitled to making appointments of half of the County Executive Committee.
"Barasa and I agreed that we would share the government fifty-fifty. Kakamega has ten ministries, will appoint five and I will appoint five," Savula declared.
However, DAP-K issued a counter statement to distance itself from the alleged blackmail by Savula, who beckoned Fernandes to keep his promise.
"As a coalition partner, we shall support Barasa to deliver to Kakamega County people on his promises pegged on #MaendeleoNaUsawa devoid of sideshows and blackmails. We have an agreement to deliver devolution fruits to the people after the swearing-in on Thursday," the party wrote.
ODM's Communication Director Philip Etale further painted Savula as a mole who never supported Raila.
"Savula has never been a member of ODM. In fact, after quitting ANC of 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.
Fernandes and his deputy will be sworn into office on Thursday, September 15.
