Nyamira Senator Kennedy Okong’o has faulted electorates in the area for promoting 'bad governance' by accepting handouts from politicians.
Okong’o, who was addressing Nyaronge women group on Thursday, said the region was struggling economically since most leaders were not elected based on their track record, but on the basis of the amount of money they issued to electorates.
The senator cautioned residents against the culture of accepting monetary incentives from politicians, and urged them to elect individuals who were committed to improving the social economic status of residents.
“The county has been facing serious leadership problems in terms of governance and that is why perhaps we are struggling as a county. It’s really sad that most leaders were elected based on how much they were able to give you and not their track record. We must shun that culture if at all we want to grow economically and promote good governance,” he said.
He said most leaders had developed a habit of ‘doing nothing after being elected’ and reverted to dishing out money for re-election.
“Since most residents have been condoning the culture of accepting money from politicians, the leaders have developed a habit of doing nothing after you elect them, only to return with money during elections to deceive you,” he added.
The senator advised residents to judge politicians based on their community development records if they want to witness progress in the rural areas, and urged them to unite against the culture of receiving handouts from politicians inorder to vote for them.