Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo on Tuesday justified why he visited State House and his association with the ruling United Democratic Alliance Party.
The Orange Democratic Movement legislator was among the nine opposition MPs who visited President William Ruto at the State House against the wishes of their party boss Raila Odinga.
The nine legislators have since been labelled as 'rebels' but have maintained that they did visit the House on the Hill for the sake of development alone.
That though, is a narrative that Raila's bandwagon has trashed, maintaining that all matters development should be gotten courtesy of the lawmakers' passage of various pieces of legislation in Parliament.
But on Tuesday while issuing 35 full scholarships to needy students Odhiambo questioned Raila's real desire for the presidency.
"The boss of my party said that development does not come by us visiting the State House. Why then has he been telling the people to vote him in to become president?" the MP asked.
Odhiambo recalled that Raila has always said that he wants to be in the State House to spur the growth and development of the country and that he is now being insincere by condemning them for meeting Ruto.
Raila has been five times unsuccessful at his stab at the presidency.
He first lost in 1997, 2007, 2013, 2017 and 2022.
MP Odhiambo rectified his critics, saying that whereas Parliament has a legislative role, the truth is that the highest percentage of development projects that are actualised on the ground are negotiated for and approved at the State House.
"This country cannot progress without elected leaders meeting and talking at State House," Odhiambo said.
He noted that it is courtesy of his State House visit that 1,000 Affordable Housing Units are being constructed in Gem and not any other part of Siaya county.
"This is the only place where the government is set to do 1,000 houses in Yala and Wagai," he said.
Odhiambo asked Raila to stop bothering the people of Kenya to vote for him as president if truly he doesn't believe that development comes from State House.
The MP said next month he will host First Lady Rachael Ruto for a 30 women groups per ward, women empowerment meeting.
In the meantime, Odhiambo stated that he is determined to give scholarships to all students in Gem who scored 360 marks and above in the 2023 Kenya Certificate of Primary Education.
Odhiambo also tasked the village elders (Nyumba Kumi elders) to go out in the neighbourhoods and fish out all students who are unable to pay school fees and take them to him for either full scholarship or issuance of bursary.
"Today I have met a team of village elders and tasked them to go back home and they lack school fees," Odhiambo said.
Preference is to be given to a total orphan, a partial orphan with mother only, a partial orphan with father only, and then those with both parents but needy, he urged.
The names of beneficiaries should be availed by the end of this week to enable payment of their fees by next week.
Depending on the village elders, he explained, is the most effective way to identify students who are more deserving to benefit from the financial assistance.
In the same vein, Odhiambo called on wealthy members of his constituency to sponsor at least one needy child to acquire education since the National Government - Constituency Development Fund(NG-CDF) is never enough.
Odhiambo is also set to meet with school heads to advise them against returning students home due to non-payment of fees.
The MP went on to criticise Siaya Governor James Orengo, claiming that he has neglected matters of education by failing to release county bursary on time.
