Homa Bay cartels in rude shock as new staff brought in – Weekly Citizen

Homa Bay county public service board has flexed its muscles to counter cartel that has operated for seven years and last week made a move to deploy staff members who are not “cooperating’’ with the cartel.

In a letter dated February 12, the board’s chief executive officer Collins Agutu told finance and economic planning chief officer Noah Otieno to shun his lust for imaginary powers which are not provided for in the law adding that county public service board is not a department of the county government, but is an independent body.

Pulling the rug under the cartel’s chief who is the county secretary Isaiah Ogwe, Agutu stated in the letter that Ogwe powers are limited to the 10 departments of the county government.

Ogwe

Quoting section 57 of the county government Act, Agutu said “a county chief officer has no powers to deploy a public officer across county departments. A county secretary too has no powers to deploy a staff of the county public service board. Coordination role of the county secretary remains within the 10 departments.

Governor Cyprian Awiti who has remained lame duck since Ogwe took over two months after 2013 elections is simply expressing lamentations but since he is not in charge, no one cares seek his intervention on anything. Ogwe’s term in office is over, but Awiti cannot act and is only quick to complain to his confidants.

Koriko

His deputy Hamilton Orata has been reduced to a helpless complainant lest he loses favour with the dreaded cartels.

Orata was irked by the move by finance chief officer Noah Otieno but that was all he could do…just complain quietly.

The transfer letters of accountants in different ministries were crafted by Otieno who is Ogwe’s nephew and whose six-year tenure at the helm of finance docket has seen massive rip off of billions of development funds. The billions of shilling are a reflected in what Koriko, Ogwe, Polo, Otieno, Lieta and others own as property in real estate, shares in companies, vehicles and money in their bank accounts and safes in their homes.

Ogwe operates more than 10 banks accounts in Homa Bay.

In a clear scheme to sustain and protect their cartel deals, the favourites who have not been transferred are Crescensia Polo who is acting chief officer transport and infrastructure. Crescencia is the daughter of internal auditor Julius Polo. In the same ministry daughter –in-law of Polo, Linet acts as the chief accountant.

Zedekia Mwaga, John Kichana, Henry Owidi and Horace Otieno who is a brother of Dan Lieta the head of accounts remain untouched. Owidi is a nephew of overnight millionaire finance and economic planning minister Nicholas Koriko.

The untouchable Daniel Owuor who is alleged to have recently paid Sh50 million to some crooked officers from Director of Criminal Investigations and Ethics and Anti- Corruption Commission to prevent his arrest has all the accountants above under his armpit.

In mid-January, Lieta’s case before Kisii Law Courts was withdrawn by DPP in unclear circumstances after a warrant of arrest was issued late last year prompting him to disappear as was advised by top EACC officials who are in his payroll.

Kichana, Horace, and Owidi are known for ferrying large sums of cash in bags at least three times in a day from banks to a committee of chief cartels co-chaired by Ogwe and Koriko.