EXPOSED: Each LUHYA politician to DP Ruto’s home received a brown envelope with KshSh2,000 ONLY

LUHYA delegates from Kakamega county who visited Deputy President William Ruto’s Sugoi home on Friday were paid Sh2.4 million.

The 1,200 delegates, 20 from each of the 60 wards, received Sh2,000 each.

But some of the delegates complained that the money was too little.

“We were given Sh2,000 before alighting from the buses and went straight to have lunch, which was ready by 9am, before the meeting began. We expected to be paid between Sh5,000 and Sh10,000,” said a youth in the delegation.

Former Kakamega County Council chairman Lawrence Itolondo said the payment “was an embarrassment”.

“I have never seen such payments in my political life. I will never make the mistake of attending another meeting,” he said.

But Mumias East MP Ben Washiali, speaking in Kakamega town on Friday evening, described the visit as a success.

“Hosting more than 1,000 people comes with its own challenges … We wanted our people to hear from the horse’s mouth what it means to us to defect to Jubilee so they don’t look at us as being crazy,” he said.

The delegates, including opinion leaders, MCAs, religious leaders, youth, women and UDF officials, were led by Jubilee MP Washiali, Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo) and Ikolomani’s Bernard Shinali.

Washiali, Wangwe and Shinali urged Ruto to ensure ongoing and stalled road construction are completed.

They asked the Jubilee government to release more money to the Mumias Sugar Company.

Ruto said the government wants to merge parties into one formidable force so the Luhya community is part of the next government.

The DP has been on a charm offensive since Christmas Eve to woo Kakamega to Jubilee.