Former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya placed his networth at Ksh700 million.
Speaking on Monday, February 6, Oparanya pointed out his 40 years of service as the source of his wealth.
The former Chairperson of the Council of Governors indicated that his payroll in various positions in the private sector and government helped him acquire millions.
“Maybe I would say Ksh700 million because I have been working for all this time,” Oparanya stated during an interview with Esther Nyonje.
“40 years I have worked without stoppage. I have been on the payroll for 40 years, and I have held very respectable positions both in the private sector and in government,” Oparanya explained.
Before joining active politics, Oparanya had an illustrious career in accounting and finance. He worked for over 23 years for various firms, including Earnest and Young, where he was a Senior Audit Manager from 1980 to 1995.
He also worked with Kenya Aerotech Limited, where he served as the Secretary to the board.
Oparanya joined elective politics in 2002 when he won the Butere Parliamentary race, a seat he retained in 2007 under the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party.
He was later appointed Minister of State for Planning, National Development and Vision 2030, under the grand-coalition government.
He would later serve as Kakamega Governor for two terms from 2013 to 2022.
“I have never sat down, so I would say it’s in that range between Ksh700 million to Ksh1 billion,” Oparanya insisted.
Oparanya, however, failed to disclose his next move. The ODM Deputy Party leader further dispelled reports that he was preparing to become the next Luhya kingpin.
I’m trying to adjust because there are quite a number of personal issues that I had not dealt with all this time I have been in politics. This time and the next four or five years to come, I will actually try to do my own things to make sure that as I retire my things are in order,” Oparanya told Nyonje.
“There is no such a title like Luhya kingpin, but leaders emerge. So I feel if we move as we are moving, someone will emerge,” Oparanya insisted.
However, he vowed to continue playing his role in Azimio which is keeping President William Ruto’s administration in check.
Source: kENYANS.CO.KE
