Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, who also serves as the Chairperson of the Council of Governors’ Finance, Planning, and Economic Affairs Committee, has openly questioned President William Ruto’s decision to appoint Wycliffe Oparanya as the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives and MSMEs Development.
Speaking on Friday, September 4, 2026, during a public address in Kakamega County, Barasa alleged that Oparanya is incompetent and unfit to continue serving in the Cabinet. He further expressed dissatisfaction with Oparanya’s current political engagements within Kakamega County.
“I want to ask President Ruto, you gave Oparanya the responsibility of serving as Cabinet Secretary, but what he is doing here in Kakamega is dividing people and leaders and holding night meetings to plan my removal as governor,” Barasa alleged.
He went on to ask the President to reassign the docket to another candidate capable of delivering results, claiming Oparanya lacks the institutional authority required for a Cabinet Secretary’s office.
“I want to ask the President, the work you gave Oparanya, give it to someone else. Oparanya is incompetent and a divider of people,” Barasa alleged.
Barasa also criticized the Cabinet Secretary for allegedly threatening and undermining local leaders working within the current county administration framework. He noted that local political leadership would not tolerate destabilization efforts directed from executive dockets.
“President Ruto, we respect you, but here in Kakamega, we don’t want Oparanya. We gave him ten years with respect,but now we cannot accept what is happening here,” Barasa added.
The public fallout comes despite Oparanya’s long political track record in Kakamega County. He served as governor following the 2013 General Election, subsequently securing a second term in August 2017 and serving until August 2022.
During his leadership as Kakamega governor, Oparanya spearheaded major infrastructure projects, including the modernization of the Kakamega County General Teaching and Referral Hospital, the upgrading of Bukhungu Stadium, and the expansion of the county’s rural road network. His administrative leadership at the grassroots level elevated his national profile, leading to his election as the Chairperson of the Council of Governors (CoG) between 2019 and 2021.
Before leading Kakamega County, Oparanya served as the Member of Parliament for Butere Constituency starting in 2002. He was later appointed Minister of State for Planning, National Development, and Vision 2030 under late President Mwai Kibaki’s Grand Coalition Government.
Oparanya’s entry into President William Ruto’s Cabinet was formalized following the political pact between President Ruto and ODM leader Raila Odinga. The partnership produced a “broad-based government” designed to unite political factions and stabilize executive governance.
Through this bipartisan arrangement, Oparanya, who serves as a Deputy Party Leader in ODM, was nominated in July 2024 and officially sworn into office on August 8, 2024, to head the Ministry of Cooperatives and Micro, Small, and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Development.
