Governor Natembeya accuses his deputy Philomenah Kapkory of planning to oust him

Natembeya defended himself, rejecting claims of ethnic bias, asserting that he is not an ethnic bigot.

“I am being profiled as an ethnic bigot, a guy who hates a certain community. I am demonstrating here that I am not,” Natembeya said.

He argued that the issues raised by Kapkory were vague and unsubstantiated, particularly regarding threats in the line of her duties.

Addressing accusations of inflammatory remarks against Kapkory, Natembeya questioned the credibility of information he says was harvested from social media.

"If you go harvesting and listening to information from social media, when are you going to work?" he posed.

The Governor also contended that Kapkory had abandoned her role as Deputy Governor, operating from Nairobi, and refuted accusations of trailing her.

“The issue about me trailing her, Chair, this is scandalous. Why should I track her? She abandoned and absconded work. She is in Nairobi; do I care what she is doing? She is not on duty, that is the point. I don’t have to look nor track her,” he said.

Responding to accusations of nepotism, Natembeya asserted that he had not employed any relatives but acknowledged the inclusion of individuals from different communities in his administration.

“The issue of nepotism in employment is not true. I have not employed any of my relatives, they are not there. But if you say that employing Luhyas and Bukusus is nepotism, then I think I am guilty as charged,” he remarked.

In addition, the Governor alleged that Kapkory's accusations were driven by her desire to assume his position, claiming she aimed to use the allegations as a means to oust him instead of pursuing electoral processes.

“If you go through that communication with my deputy, you will not see any incline or reason to believe that there is a strained relationship between me and her. However, this has made her believe she can actually muscle powers to get me out of the way so that she can become the Governor of Trans Nzoia,” he alleged.

Natembeya urged a nuanced understanding of government operations, asserting, "I know that Government is complicated, but if you take time to understand how Government operates, you will not come and put your ignorance on show in an important place like this." 

The ongoing feud between Natembeya and Kapkory traces back to the proposal for a separate County by the minority Sabaot community, to which Kapkory belongs.

Natembeya opposed the idea, stating its impracticality and suggesting that the Sabaot community should be content with existing leadership positions in the county.

Kapkory cited these statements in a report to the NCIC as the origin of the conflict, claiming that Natembeya portrayed the Sabaot as greedy.

"He further went on to state that not even an inch of Trans Nzoia would be hived off to form another county, insinuating that the Sabaot are greedy," read part of the statement.