Ruth Odinga narrates tribulations with Governor Jack Ranguma, MCAs

Kisumu Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga at County Hall, Nairobi when she appeared before the Senate committee of Finance, Commerce and Budget on alleged funds misappropriation in Kisumu County. [PHOTO: MBUGUA KIBERA/STANDARD]

Kisumu Deputy Governor Ruth Odinga Friday turned up at County Hall and narrated to senators her tribulations at the hands of her boss Governor Jack Ranguma.

Ruth, who is CORD leader Raila Odinga's sister, also slammed Members of the County Assembly as "corrupt", because they depended on handouts from the County Executive to approve appointments and bills.

She narrated a stunning story of what she termed blatant theft of public funds, broken-down systems and tribalism in the county public service.

She revealed that in the first year, the county missed the revenue target by Sh600 million; they hoped to collect Sh1.1 billion, but only managed half the amount.

Then, she realised that every day, the revenue collectors did not bank Sh1 million. In a year, auditors released a report that the county lost Sh366 million in "unbanked revenues".

She stunned senators with a confession that she had been "ignored" in all key decisions in the county.

She said her problems with MCAs arose after she exposed their folly of seeking to spend Sh7 million on "a bonding trip" to Nairobi at a time when Jaramogi Oginga Odinga Hospital had its water disconnected over Sh500,000 unpaid bill.

"When I questioned why they have to go for a bonding session at the Kenya School of Government in Nairobi, they said they want to go far away so that their constituents do not disturb them when they are bonding. They then told me I am the one who is bringing problems. It seems these trips are their way of making money," Ruth said at the meeting with the Senate's Committee on Finance, Commerce and Budget, at County Hall in Nairobi.

To her, the MCAs needed more schooling: "Something has to be done about the level of education of some MCAs. It seems that they are paid to pass some of these Bills without even reading and that is not good!"

Appointments

Ruth said even though she was the second-in-command in the county and despite being the "coordinator of the Cabinet" at the county level, she had not been involved in anything.

She told the senators how she has never had a role in the appointment of any person within the county save for her personal office and domestic staff.

"All the ten members of the County Executive Committee, the 14 chief officers, the seven county administrators and even the 25 ward administrators were all appointed without my input. The only people I have been allowed to employ are my driver, cook, bodyguard and personal assistant," she said.

She said tribalism had made it difficult for people who are not Luos or even Luos from outside Kisumu to get jobs within the county.

"If this issue of exclusion is not addressed, it is going to explode. The business community is suffering, I also suffer. When I talk, I am told to go back to Siaya where I was born," she added.