Cabinet Minister without portfolio Raphael Tuju has admitted that he has not been keen on initiating any development projects in his Siaya backyard.
Speaking during the burial of his brother Kepha Tuju in Rarieda, on Saturday, the former area lawmaker said that he has been punishing the region for its hostility against him.
He added that though he has the power and resources, he has been holding back the goodies to avoid being bashed by fellow politicians in the region, most of whom he is not in good terms with.
"I intentionally avoided bringing such developments here because it would have been clouded with politics," he was quoted by The Standard.
The leader added that he took away some of the projects he initiated when he was area parliamentarian between 2002 and 2007 because the people dared him.
The latter who ditched area kingpin and opposition leader Raila Odinga for then President Mwai Kibaki added that he would have carried more away if he had the ability.
“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,” he added.
Tuju is now the Secretary General of the ruling Jubilee Party which has twice beaten Raila and his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), the strongest in the region.
However, has been initiating projects in the neighbouring Kisumu and Homa Bay counties.