Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has raised the red flag over the proposed discharge of Golf Hotel, a state corporation, in Kakamega town, questioning why the transaction is being executed clandestinely.

Consequently, Dr Khalwale wants a parliamentary committee to be seized of the deal and investigate the process and lay bare procedures followed, whether the process was competitive and transparent and whether the Kakamega County government submitted a bid.

He expressed fears that the presidency is behind the ‘steal’ of the tourism facility that was built during the reign founding President Jomo Kenyatta in early 1970s.

Given that Kakamega Gold Hotel is a profit-making parastatal, Dr Khalwale wants President William Ruto and Kakamega Governor Fernandez Barasa to come clean on the transaction that is shrouded in secrecy.

The senator is concerned that the state has mooted a plot that employs scorched earth tactics to further impoverish the region that has suffered marginalisation since independence 1963 despite its high economic economic potential.

The alleged fraudulent acquisition of Gold Hotel, if confirmed, comes hot on the heels of earlier attempts by President William Ruto allies’ abortive push to kowtow the Catholic Church in Kakamega to give up the iconic Cathedral Mall – less that a kilometre from Kakamega State House – to power barons in Ruto administration.

The senator expressed fears that the scramble for high-value institutions in Kakamega is a broad scheme to force the region to play second fiddle to Rift Valley, Nyanza and central Kenya regions.

The national government has also come under the scrutiny over the controversial decision to resettle more than 800 families in Ikolomani – some 30 kilometres southwest of Kakamega town – to pave way for British mining firm, Shanta Gold, to start operations. Ikolomani residents have declined to migrate from their ancestral lands alleging fraud in the transaction that will give Shanta Gold mining company unlimited access to mineral wealth in the region estimated to be worth $6.5 billion (Ksh680 billion).

Against this backdrop of shadiness, Senator Khalwale questioned the proposed sale of Golf Hotel Kakamega – in addition to state-owned sugar mills in the region – and the decision to discharge what he describes as a profitable public institutions in western Kenya and called for transparency in the transaction.

Speaking at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday, the senator noted that the local county government has a stake in the hotel, “including the three acres of land on which the facility stands and an adjoining fourteen acre parcel.”

He observed that the proposed sale “has generated anxiety among residents and stakeholders, particularly because the land was donated by local families for the establishment of the hotel.”

According to Khalwale, Golf Hotel Kakamega has remained profitable over the past five years, consistently paying dividends and recording no losses, which raises questions about justification of its disposal.

Consequently, the senator wants the Standing Committee on Land, Environment and Natural Resources to explain the factors and considerations that informed the decision to sell the hotel despite its strong financial performance.

The legislator also called for details on the current status of the transaction, including the names of bidders for hotel. He wants clarification on whether the County Executive Committee chaired by the governor approved the proposed sale, particularly in light of the county government’s interest in the adjoining 14-acre parcel of land. He has also asked for documentary evidence of any such approval.

The senator is additionally seeking information on whether the County Assembly of Kakamega approved the proposed sale and, if so, the resolutions, records and supporting documentation relating to that decision.

Khalwale’s concerns arise from unqualified fears that Kakamega County Governor Fernandez Barasa is a stooge of President Ruto and is his errands-boy in the transfer of public utilities into private hands.

He also wants details on public participation undertaken in relation to the proposed sale, including reports, minutes and records of engagements conducted with residents and other stakeholders in Kakamega County.

The committee is expected to establish whether the proposed transaction complied with legal requirements and whether adequate safeguards were put in place to protect public interests and assets.

–           A Tell Media report