Kisumu County Senator Anyang’ Nyong’o and Kisumu Central MP Ken Obura over the weekend traded accusations against each other publicly over the presence of the National Youth Service ( NYS) in the lakeside town.
While addressing NYS beneficiaries in Kisumu on Friday, Obura took a swipe at Nyong’o, dismissing his sentiments that the presence of NYS in Kisumu was a security threat.
Nyong’o and Nyando MP Fred Outa had last month accused the recruits of raising crime in the county with the two calling for a scrutiny into the backgrounds of the youth. They claimed a majority of them were hired from outside the town.
“Nyong’o should stop misleading people by linking NYS, which has helped our youth, to insecurity in Kisumu,” said Obura.
He stated that 85 per cent of the country’s resources remain with the national government and therefore should benefit everybody in Kenya, irrespective of the region, party or ethnic group they subscribe to.
“Part of this 85 per cent is the NYS project and those opposed to it are against freeing the youth from poverty,” he said.
Obura said the Kisumu Central constituency electorate sent him to create jobs and bring development to them and that is exactly what he is doing and should not be branded a mole by fulfilling what he promised.
He said he will ensure the project that has helped thousands of youth in the informal settlements of Kisumu does not halt before the objectives are achieved.
“Nyong’o fought for democracy, multipartism and independence but poverty remains an issue which he should let us, the young generation fight against,” said Obura.
The Kisumu Senator hit back at Obura accusing him of seeking cheap popularity in Kisumu by claiming that he wrote to the Ministry of Devolution to stop its youth employment program in Kisumu.
“I never did anything of the sort. I challenge Ken Obura to produce a copy of this letter within 2 days else I will sue him for defamation,” said Nyongo.
The Kisumu Senator stressed that he was talking about the uniformed NYS personnel whose presence in Kisumu had caused worries to the public regarding their likely intentions and their possible connection with insecurity in the city since their arrival.
“If the employment program is failing the problem must be sought within the corridors of the Ministry of Devolution where Obura’s Jubilee friends are obviously better informed about the failure rather than look for scapegoat in me,” said Nyong’o.
Nyongo told Obura to carry his own burden of his fading political fortunes in Kisumu instead of outsourcing such problems to others.
President Uhuru Kenyatta launched the youth empowerment and slum upgrading programme in Kisumu on April 23 this year in the informal settlements of Nyalenda and Obunga. There are 23 villages in total, 13 in Nyalenda and 10 in Obunga and Nyawita.
It originally planned to engage 4, 000 youth in a model similar to Kibera where youth are regimented and work under the supervision of the servicemen, but residents are now demanding that the number be increased.
The youth have of late been engaging in cleaning the drainages, construction of toilets to improve sanitation, installation of electricity and construction of roads in the informal settlements.
-standardmedia.co.ke
