Oparanya Claims Raila Forwarded His Name For CS Job Without Consulting Him: "Alijua Nitakataa”

• CS Wycliffe Oparanya disclosed that he was unaware that Raila Odinga had submitted his name for a ministerial position in William Ruto's Cabinet
• He claimed that upon realizing he had been nominated as the Cooperatives and MSMEs CS, he quickly contacted Raila
• He added that he informed Raila he had no intention of working with the Kenya Kwanza government

The newly appointed Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs, Wycliffe Oparanya, has revealed that he did not seek a position in President William Ruto's Cabinet.

How did Oparanya get his CS job?

Speaking on Monday, September 23, Oparanya stated that his first action upon learning of his nomination for a CS position was to contact Raila Odinga.

Unaware of how his name ended up on Ruto's CS nomination list, he began explaining to Raila that he had no intention of working with the Kenya Kwanza regime.

"I sent a message to Baba telling him that I did not agree to be a Cabinet secretary in Ruto's administration. Baba was in Dubai at that time," Oparanya said.

He added that this was when he realized Raila had presented his name to Ruto for a ministerial position without informing him or other ODM members nominated to Ruto's Cabinet.

"He knew I would reject the job if he told me.We were not consulted," he added.

Oparanya claims he'd rather be a farmer than join govt

Earlier, the former Kakamega governor and staunch supporter of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) had vowed never to join the Kenya Kwanza government.

In a statement posted on his X account on February 11, 2022, Oparanya reaffirmed his strong support for the ODM party.

He stated that joining Kenya Kwanza was not an option for him, even if it were his only choice.

He argued that he would prefer to resign from politics and go home and be a farmer rather than be affiliated with the William Ruto-led entity.

The statement resurfaced shortly after Oparanya was nominated to serve in Ruto's government as Cabinet secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs.

Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura Guthua, journalist and copy editor at TUKO.co.ke