Bomet County Governor Hillary Barchok faced a hard time addressing the residents of Koiwa Village, in Konoin Constituency, Bomet County, after being heckled by locals, calling him a conman. The disruption was attributed to claims of poor leadership and his inability to spur development in the tea-rich sub-county.
The situation escalated as residents demanded the governor cut his speech short and allow others with meaningful developmental speeches to address them.
In a video that has circulated widely, the governor is seen struggling to address the charged crowd but was eventually forced to cut his speech short, just quickly mentioning his name and thanking the president for the visit to his county.
Governor Barchok has been accused of neglecting his duties, including his failure to improve healthcare facilities such as Cheptalal, Siomo, Embomos and Koiwa hospitals, and his lack of commitment in addressing the poor state of county roads in the region.
President William Ruto had to intervene to calm the crowd after chants of “We do not want him, He is a conman” drowned out the governor. The president’s involvement was critical in salvaging the situation, as the governor had lost control of the noisy and angry audience.
The incident occurred during an event attended by the president at Koiwa AIC Church, where he also acknowledged greetings from the residents at Koiwa market. He was accompanied by Cabinet Secretaries Davis Chirchir, several governors, and other Members of Parliament.
In his address, the president assured the residents that his administration would continue to unite the nation regardless of tribe or social class. He also vowed to pursue his transformative agenda to improve livelihoods.