Professor Sam Ongeri on Wednesday clarified that he had not defected to ODM from Jubilee but he said to continue working with Kisii Governor James Ongwae of ODM.
“There is nothing in the constitution that prevents me from working with the governor simply because he is in a different party. I fully support Governor Ongwae's re-election bid,” he said.
Ongeri was speaking on Wednesday at a fundraiser in Masimba SDA secondary school where he said he is still in Jubilee and has not defected but insisted that he will announce his political stand between March and May next year.
Prof Ongeri who is Kenya’s ambassador to the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP), defended his development record during the years he has been in leadership, saying it was unmatched in the region.
“I was among the Serena Team that negotiated a compromise to the crisis caused by the 2008 post-election violence. My contribution to that process remains in the public domain,” said Ongeri.
He said he was instrumental in the expansion of the upgrading of the then Kisii General Hospital into a Level Five facility.
“I approached President Moi and pitched the idea of having modern medical facilities along the Kericho-Nakuru-Kisii-Tanzania route, which was notorious for accidents back then,” he said.
According to the politician, the deal involved a compromise whereby the Rift Valley was also to get a similar facility.
“I asked him to let us upgrade the hospital at Kericho. When he accepted my request, I also asked for a similar Level Five facility upgrade in Kisii, and he agreed to it. After that I negotiated with the Japanese government for aid worth Sh1.3 billion for the project,” Prof Ongeri said.
He also named the upgrading of several urban centers to town status during his tenure as Minister for Local Governments, and the upgrading of infrastructure and facilities in schools throughout the Kisii and Nyamira Counties during his time as Education Minister.
Governor Ongwae who was present also said he would soon embark on a major road repair and maintenance project at Masimba ward, saying he would not discriminate against any area in the county in development allocations.
He also promised to repair the roof of the Masimba Level 4 Hospital, saying the residents' concerns on the state of the facility would be comprehensively handled.