Senate team petitions DPP to compel Governor Oparanya to appear before it

Kakamega County Governor and also the Council of Governors Finance Chairman Wycliffe Oparanya addresses Press at his office in Kakamega on October 22, 2015. [PHOTO/BENJAMIN SAKWA/STANDARD]

A Senate committee has petitioned the Director of Public Prosecutions (DPP) to compel Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to obey summons to appear before it to respond to audit queries.

Last week, the Public Accounts and Investment committee wrote to DPP Keriako Tobiko to ensure compliance after the governor snubbed three invites and summons to account for alleged misappropriation of funds as raised in reports by Auditor General Edward Ouko.

Members of the committee led by Chairman Boni Khalwale (Kakamega) demanded that action be taken by the DPP to ensure the governor is compelled to appear before the Senate team.

Mr Oparanya is required to respond to allegations of misappropriation and irregular diversion of county funds, lack of documentation to support spending of county funds and contravention of the Public Procurement and Disposal Act as cited in 2012-2013 and 2013-2014 audit reports.

According to the committee, the auditor found that upon entry into office, the governor spent Sh5.2 million, being funds for the Local Authority Transfer Fund (LATF), on a personal car.

Oparanya is on the spot for failing to account for over Sh10.2 million.

"The governor has declined to honour summons to account for public funds under his watch. We invited him thrice and he defied. We have issued summons and still he refused to appear before this committee," Dr Khalwale said.

He disclosed that following Oparanya's continued defiance, the committee resorted to write a letter to the DPP to ensure compliance.

Committee members Anyang' Nyong'o (Kisumu), Hassan Omar (Mombasa) and Martha Wangari nominated) also registered their disappointment over the governor's conduct.

Oparanya, who is also the Council of Governors' (CoG) Finance committee chairman, was among the nine governors who had challenged the matter in court but suffered a major blow following the ruling that they should appear before the Senate team.

Khalwale cited Article 125, which stipulates that either the Houses of Parliament or their committees, have powers to summon any person to appear before them.

By yesterday Mr Tobiko was yet to respond to the committee's request, but the senators were optimistic he would treat the matter as urgent.

Khalwale commended Narok Governor Samuel Tunai for honouring Senate summons and encouraged other governors to do the same.