Tuju: Why I have not initiated development projects in Siaya

Cabinet Secretary without portfolio Raphael Tuju (pictured) has admitted that he has not initiated a single project in his Siaya County since his appointment, but added that he had no regrets about it.

The Jubilee Party secretary-general broke his silence during the burial of his brother Kefa Oduor at his Rarieda home on Saturday, saying that “bad politics” had prompted him not take any “goodies” to his home county.

Mr Tuju, who has been seen as Opposition leader Raila Odinga’s political protagonist since 2002, said he was willing to ensure Siaya benefited from his status only if residents and area leaders embraced him.

Tuju was elected Rarieda MP in 2002 on the ticket of the National Rainbow Coalition, which was pioneered by Raila and Mwai Kibaki.

He soon broke ranks with Raila despite being in Cabinet.

In 2012, he launched his new political vehicle for the presidency, the Party of Action (POA), but later became the secretary general of the then newly-formed Jubilee Party, which propelled President Uhuru Kenyatta to victory for his second term.

This earned Tuju a slot in the Cabinet.

On Saturday, Tuju noted that his political stand saw the projects he initiated while serving as Rarieda MP rejected, with leaders and residents asking him to take them back, a situation that had seen him sit back in terms of bringing development to the area.

“I did enough in Rarieda but you still went ahead and told me to carry away the roads I developed. I wish the roads were movable, I would have carried them away as I did with the mobile clinics,” said Tuju.

He asked residents to be flexible and allow him to initiate projects as he had recently done in Kisumu and Homa Bay counties.

“I intentionally avoided bringing such developments here because it would have been clouded with politics,” said Tuju, explaining that he had been holding back his “goodies” for fear of being misconstrued to be interested in the Siaya governor’s seat come 2022.

Tuju, who said he was comfortable with his current position in the Government, said he would support development projects in the four counties of Luo-Nyanza.

He asked leaders to take a break from politics and concentrate on development instead of continuing to bicker about the 2022 elections, especially after the handshake.