Migori Senator Eddy Oketch defends his absence from the county

Migori Senator Eddy Oketch has defended his perceived absence from the county saying the work of a legislator is domicile in Parliament.

Oketch said many people who have been asking why he’s not frequently seen in the county still do not understand the role of the Senator.

He said he has been doing his work, adding that within his one and half year in office, he has been able to bring more funds to Migori County and e is still struggling to bring more.

The Senator said the previous Migori County government under former Governor Okoth Obado was receiving a budget of Ksh.8 billion per year, but that he has now been able to fight for more allocation and the county is receiving an upwards of close to Ksh.12 billion.

“I must be at the centre of where the money is being distributed at all times. Even yesterday, while at the airport on my way back to Kenya, and division of revenue allocation was being done, I had to make calls to get funds for Migori County,” he said.

“When Obado left, this county was getting Ksh.8 billion. Right now I’ve fought for us and we’re getting nearly Ksh.12 billion. So the work of a Senator is not to be involved in village politics.”

Oketch said getting more funds for Migori County has not been easy since the Kenya Kwanza government has allegedly been favoring regions that voted overwhelmingly for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party in the 2022 election.

He went ahead to appeal to elected leaders from Migori County to stop early campaigns and focus on service delivery to the people who voted them into office.

Oketch said early campaigns derail development and therefore leaders must shelve early political ambitions and support each other for the benefit of the people of Migori County.