Raila Odinga order on Nyanza governors angers allies

Coalition for Reforms and Democracy (CORD) leader Raila Odinga, who is celebrated for his strong position on accountability, has curiously asked MPs and Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) in Nyanza to give governors space and a free-hand to deliver on their election promises.

The move appears to shield governors of Siaya and Kisumu counties, Cornel Rasanga and Jack Ranguma, who are facing immense pressure from elected leaders over alleged misappropriation of funds.

But apparently angered by persistent wrangles that continue to rock counties in the region, the CORD leader said acrimony among the leaders had stalled development projects. “There is a lot of noise coming from Kisumu, Siaya, Nyamira and Migori counties involving MPs, governors and MCAs. This is bad for devolution,” Raila said in Ndere, Siaya County, recently.

“There is no way governors will deliver on their promises if this noise continues. I was in China recently with Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga and many investors were interested in coming here. They will not come if Siaya leaders continue wrangling,” protested Raila, who is also the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader.

Raila seemed particularly angered by the bad blood between Rasanga and Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo. He is similarly disturbed by the differences between Ranguma and his deputy, Ruth Odinga.

Besides being a delicate political balancing act, the former PM’s position also contradicts and directly hurts the stance taken by Jakoyo and Ruth. The two are close allies and relatives of Raila – Ruth is his younger sister while Jakoyo is his first cousin.

Jakoyo has accused Rasanga of being corrupt, claiming the governor deposited Sh50 million in the bank accounts of MCAs to entice them against questioning financial scandals in Siaya.

“Rasanga paid Sh13.5 million to Triple Investment Company that secured the tender to install solar lighting in the county before the firm did the job. Siaya County Hospital is in a dilapidated state because the money meant to upgrade the facility was misused by the county government,” the National Assembly Deputy Minority Leader said.

The situation is no different in Kisumu County, where wrangles among elected leaders are common. Here, MPs have accused the Governor of making crucial decisions without consulting them. A section of MCAs and the Deputy Governor have also accused the governor of being corrupt.

Embezzlement of funds

The tiff between Ranguma and Ms Odinga led to the sacking of county executive members allied to the deputy governor. Last year, speaker Ann Adul was reinstated by the courts after she was impeached by MCAs.

The ODM leader’s warning to “leave the governors alone” notwithstanding, his sister and cousin, seem reluctant to play ball. Speaking to The Standard On Sunday, Midiwo indirectly told Raila to keep off the matter.

“I am answerable to the people who voted for me and I have a responsibility as an MP in this county to fight corruption in all quarters, including in my constituency, the county and national governments. I will not stop until leaders stop embezzling funds,” he charged.

Midiwo explained his fight for corruption was not targeting Rasanga as a person but as a county chief who must make sure public resources are utilised for the benefit of the people.

Ms Odinga maintained Kisumu residents must know who has been misappropriating funds meant for development. “Let the relevant state agencies swing into action and start investigating given the revelation by an audit report that corruption is rife here. A corrupt system must be cleaned if Kisumu County is to develop,” said the Deputy Governor.

Separately, Midiwo says he has forwarded evidence on the scandals to the Auditor General for investigations.

Rasanga, however, refutes the claims, terming them mere allegations aimed at frustrating his focus on developing the county. “He is the only MP who complains about nothing. If there is any embezzlement of funds, then the MCAs must be aware. They have not raised any alarm. The MP is selfish and ignorant,” the governor said. Rasanga has also had run-ins with MCAs and county speaker George Okode over his refusal to assent to the Assembly Service Board Bill 2014, which he termed illegal.

The MCAs also want the governor stripped of power to sack or re-assign county executives.

Skewed procurements

A task force formed to probe the wrangles in Kisumu found that 90 per cent of the conflicts in the county revolve around procurement of goods and services for the assembly. The task force also found that MCAs openly flout procurement laws to award tenders to themselves or their cronies.

The report revealed that a Sh700,000 tender to ferry MCAs to Kampala, Uganda, was awarded to Milimani MCA Edwin Anayo who provided a 14-seater matatu, while a tender for security services was awarded to the Deputy Speaker.
Nyalenda B ward representative James Were won the tender to supply his colleagues with I-Pads while Migosi’s Paul Achayo won the bid for water and medical cover. The report was handed over to Raila on Wednesday, who in turn handed it over to investigative agencies for action.

Kisumu County Inter-party Forum Chair Joseph Olwero said the report has buoyed their spirits to collect signatures and send the county government home.

In Nyamira County, 31 of the 33 MCAs voted to remove their speaker Peter King’oina from office last year over a controversial Sh30 million insurance tender.

The MCAs claimed King’oina had authorised the payment of the huge sum to Johncele Insurance Brokers Limited on April 4, 2014 before service provision could begin.
King’oina had however accused Governor John Nyagarama of being behind his woes, claims the governor denied.

In Migori County, assembly Speaker Gordon Ogolla is also facing impeachment over corruption allegations. It is said enmity between ODM, which has majority of members in the county assembly, and People’s Democratic Party (PDP), which sponsored Governor Okoth Obado, is the cause of wrangles between the speaker and the MCAs.

In Homa Bay, wrangles between Governor Cyprian Awiti and the county’s Public Service Board Chairman Mathews Oseko threatened service delivery and halted the hiring of staff in the county government for the better part of 2014.

Oseko had accused the governor of disrespecting him by ordering the appointment of individuals who had not been interviewed. Oseko later resigned.