Weekend donations by Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa and Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya have incited the wrath of former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale.
On Sunday, May 10, Khalwale accused the two of distributing sub-standard food to the residents of Navakholo in Kakamega County.
"Dear President Kenyatta and DP William Ruto, I am writing to you with a very heavy heart! Who allowed Eugene Wamalwa and Governor Oparanya to donate Chinese junk 'food' in Navakholo yesterday?
"Has it been certified by the [Kenya Bureau of Standards] KEBS? Coronavirus from China and now rice from China? We are not guinea pigs," Boni Khalwale posted on Twitter.
The donation by the national government was intended for Kakamega residents displaced by floods that have claimed dozens of lives countrywide.
The exercise was overseen by CS Wamalwa and Governor Oparanya and Busia County Governor Sospeter Ojaamong where residents received bags of rice, mattresses, and blankets.
The sentiments by Khalwale attracted intense backlash from social media users describing his reaction as unwarranted and furthering the profiling of the Chinese, especially after the Covid-19 outbreak.
Similar attitudes against the Chinese came to the fore on April 10, 2020, when the Chinese government sent equipment to the country to aid in the fight against Covid-19 after which Kenyans accused the nation of hypocrisy owing to reports of maltreatment of African in various cities in China.
In 2017, there were claims that there was an influx of 'plastic rice' imported from China into the Kenyan economy, claims that the Kenya Bureau of Standards (KEBS) rubbished.
CS Wamalwa stated that the dire situation in Kakamega called for the government to step up its efforts in the region to help the suffering residents currently marooned in schools and churches.
He explained that each affected sub-county received 550 bags of rice and promised that they would get more foodstuff the following week.
"We have enough food and we will continue with the distribution so that our people do not suffer while in the camps," Wamalwa stated.
