Orange Democratic Movement Party leader Raila Amollo Odinga has slammed Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala for playing politics with Kakamega people who elected him.
Odinga who spoke this while on his tour in Kakamega County on Sunday Sept 6th where he was hosted by Governor Wycliffe Oparanya pointed out how it was a big shame to see the senator pretend to defend devolution and yet he doesn’t know what brought him to the Senate which is to defend his own people not ‘other’ people.
Malala was part of a few rebellious Senators who completely rejected the third Generation formula in the Senate and even went as far as vowing to die with their stand despite the proposal favouring their areas, in a move that since raised eyebrows.
Even after he was arrested to force them to change their mind, Malala while at his Kitengela home and later Mumias Police Station asserted that he will not be moved by any threat from anywhere.
“Mtaniuwa mimi na sibadiliki na hakuna mtu atanipigia kura kule kwa assembly. Nimeendikia Speaker Lusaka barua nobody can vote for me unless mimi mwenyewe nikuwe,” he was heard asserting this position.
And weighing on the matter while addressing hundreds of ODM party members and delegates from Kakamega County in a meeting which was held at Governor Oparanya’s home in Butere Subcounty last weekend, Mr. Odinga wondered how the senator who was to benefit from the formula would pull such a dangerous stand for his own reasons.
He posed to know who had elected Malala to represent the entire country instead of his own people from Kakamega.
“If you are elected as an MP or a Senator, you are supposed to represent the people, the formula has been tabled in the Senate, but you say you do not want to deny funds to people from other Counties, are you really elected by the people of Kakamega?” Odinga said.
He added that any senator who was fighting a formula meant to benefit his own area must tell his electorates what else he was looking for if it is not kickbacks.
“If there is a Senator that is having their County getting more funds but they reject the formula, it’s not that they love people from other Counties, there is a question mark,” noted Raila.
The former premier took the chance to urge Senators across the country to quickly make their mind and come up with a viable stand so that counties can move forward.
Alongside Malala, others who were arrested on the eve of Senate voting are his Samburu counterpart Steve Lelegwe and Bomet’s Chritopher Langat.
