Wycliffe Oparanya
Former Kakamega Governor and Wycliffe Oparanya and his wife Priscillah have been arrested by officers from the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) following a raid in their Nairobi and Kakamega homes in search of them.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party through a statement on Wednesday August 23 claimed the ODM deputy party leader was arrested and later grilled by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) at the integrity center in Nairobi.
“Our DPL Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has been arrested by officers from the DCI. Oparanya together with his wife Madam Priscilah are currently at the EACC offices at integrity center.” Stated the party.
The party further added “No information has been given as to why they have been arrested & why they are being questioned.”
The ODM party did not disclose further information about the arrest, coming ahead of President William Ruto’s Western Kenya tour. Oparanya served for two terms as the Kakamega Governor and played a big role in the Presidential campaigns of the Azimio leader Raila Odinga. He was poised to be Cabinet secretary for Treasury if Raila would have won the hotly contested 2022 Presidential elections.
This is the second time Oparanya has been arrested this year. In July, he was arrested for organizing anti-government protests in Western Kenya. On Wednesday he was among the Azimio leaders who missed the 20th anniversary commemoration of former Vice President Michael Wamalwa Kijana in Transnzoia County.
The area Governor George Natembeya alongside Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) party leader Eugene Wamalwa was in attendance as they renamed the Transnzoia County Teaching and Referral Hospital to the Wamalwa Kijana Teaching and Referral Hospital in honor of the deceased.
Former Presidential contender and Roots party leader George Wajackoyah and his Usawa party counterpart Mwangi Wa Iria who is the former Murang’a Governor were all in attendance.
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