Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has dismissed as cheap, the demands by Senator Cleophas Malala that he accounts for the millions of shillings the county had received to fight Covid-19.
Speaking in his office yesterday, Oparanya said his administration had not spent the money set aside for the fight against the pandemic.
“This is being cheap because Ifmis (the integrated financial management information system) is closed and there is no way you can spend that money. Some of these accusations are too cheap...,” said Oparanya, who is also the Council of Governors (CoG) chairman.
The county government was allocated Sh262 million by the national government for the fight against the virus, while the county assembly approved another Sh105 million through a supplementary budget.
The county has also received other donations from well-wishers, including individuals and institutions. Malala on Monday demanded accountability.
“There is money I have ensured is brought here to fight the coronavirus, but you can’t see anything happening. If you go to hospitals you will not find any equipment for testing, there is no food being given to the people,” he said.
The lawmaker said the Senate will summon Oparanya to explain how the funds were used. But Oparanya said he is beyond reproach on matters of finance.
“I'm a respected person countrywide and it’s only when I come home here that very small people can dare me. Even the president respects me because he knows I'm the only honest governor.
"When I tell him something about Covid-19, he is able to confirm, as opposed to some who lie to him,” the county chief said.
He accused Malala of seeking cheap publicity by making wild and unsubstantiated allegations against his seniors in politics.
On a sanitisation booth put up by former Senator Boni Khalwale in Kakamega town, Oparanya said they had to uproot it because it had been banned the world over.
He said Khalwale only wanted to play politics and gain political mileage because the former senator, being a doctor, was aware that the booth had been declared unhygienic for purposes of fighting the coronavirus.