Leadership struggle rocks Siaya county assembly – Weekly Citizen

Siaya county assembly speaker George Okode has gone full throttle to counter a court decision that reinstated Felix Olwero as the county assembly clerk bringing to the fore vested interests in the struggle to control millions of taxpayers’ money. Eyebrows were raised when a letter signed by Okode leveled fresh interdiction notice against Olwero on the day a court delivered a decision quashing the officer’s previous suspension. The employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisumu on April 14 reinstated Olwero as the Siaya county assembly clerk. Olwero was on March 1 2019 unceremoniously kicked out of his office over allegations that he irregularly acquired a Sh2 million car loan in 2015. He was swiftly replaced by one Erick Ogenga who has been performing the duties of the clerk in an acting capacity for the last two years. However, Weekly Citizen has information that Ogenga is a first cousin of speaker Okode and according to the latest revelation the plot is to keep Olwero at bay as the speaker and his cousin take charge of the troubled county assembly. To perfect the game, Okode is said to have pocketed a good number of MCAs and has also infiltrated operations of the county assembly service board that cannot make decisions without his final input. Whereas the MCAs are fed mostly on per diems, a group of cartels said to be led by Okode are accused of robbing the county assembly through procurable items. It is against such dubious deals that the board vice chairman Maurice Aringo brought into the picture his close relative, one Nyangidi who instantly took charge as the senior internal auditor.

George Okode

Millions of shillings are said to have been dubiously transacted through Nyangidi. Nyangidi took over from David Okumu and was promoted to the rank of director of finance. Olwero believes that it is Nyangidi who is being used to fight him adding that it was suspect of him to write a damning audit report on him despite the fact that he was only two months old in the office and ordinarily was not in a position to work on such a report. Weekly Citizen has also established that common money minting avenues at the assembly where budget funds are inflated are through legal services and purchase of Hansard equipment. A Siaya journalist who cannot be named given the sensitivity of the matter said, Okode is using the acting clerk for his own monetary benefits and boasts to be untouchable. In a bid to handle the MCAs, the speaker has ensured that fictitious meetings are organised to justify allowances in favour of the leaders who are rendered helpless. According to sources, nearly all committee meetings cannot come up with a final decision on matters before Okode is promptly briefed with a view of getting his opinion or rather final word. The speaker has shown deep interest in Siaya politics but has been only sending mixed signals as he is yet to declare which particular position he will vie for.

To illustrate his influence at the county assembly, there was unusual silence he championed fresh charges against Olwero despite the court decision to give him back his job. Okode, in his letter, argued that the court decision was a public law remedy and did not prohibit the board from proceeding with fresh disciplinary procedures against Olwero. Part of the letter in our possession read ‘Consequently, to facilitate further investigations on alleged gross misconduct and pursuant to the provisions of the county assembly Act No 24 of 2017 Section 23, the county assembly service board during its meeting held on April 14 2021 vide minute no MIN/CASB/08/14/21, resolved to interdict you for a period of three months with effect from the date of this letter’’. Ironically, what appeared to be a hurriedly convened sitting rushed into decision just hours after the landmark decision by Justice Francis Radido who acted in favour of Olwero. A section of staff at the county assembly lamented that Okode has personalised his war with Olwero, just to maintain his cousin, Ogenga at the lucrative position. Some civil society groups have vowed to swing into action and ensure that court decision is followed to the latter and corrupt leaders exposed. Community Initiative Action Group Kenya, executive director Chris Owalla said that there is need for leaders to make it a culture of respecting court verdicts for development of Siaya and by extension Kenya. Owalla called on the locals to always have their ears on the ground and take action against leaders seen to be taking them for a ride.