County Executive Committee nominee declines position

Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti (left ) is ushered to the podium by his Deputy Hamilton Orata (right) during the swearing in of nine CECs at the county headquarters on November 8, 2017. Photo by James Omoro

A nominee for the position of County Executive Committee member has declined the seat even after being approved by the Homa Bay county assembly.

Alfonse Wera, the nominee for Energy and Mining, said he lacked the experience required to deliver services efficiently. He added that he had applied for a position in the Trade and Industrialisation department.

“Agreeing to serve in a department where I lack professional qualifications would undermine my integrity,” he said.

Mr Wera was approved by the county assembly last Tuesday. The next day, nine of his fellow nominees were sworn into office.

The nine were sworn in by Principal Magistrate Susan Ndegwa in a ceremony presided over by Governor Cyprian Awiti, his deputy Hamilton Orata and County Secretary Isaiah Ogwe.

They included Dickson Nyawinda (Water, Environment and Natural Resources), Nicholas Koriko (Finance, Economic Planning and Service Delivery), Richard Muga (Health Services), David Okeyo (Roads, Public Works and Transport), Carelus Ademba (Trade, Indusrialisation, Co-operatives and Enterprise Development), Beatrice Ogola (Lands, Housing, Urban Development and Physical Planning), Roselyn Odhiambo (Tourism, Sports, Gender, Culture and Social Services), Beatrice Asiago (Education and ICT) and Aguko Juma (Agriculture, Livestock, Fisheries and Food Security).

Speaking during the occasion, Mr Awiti said he nominated the officials based on their academic and professional qualifications.

The governor told the county executives to dedicate their time to implementing development projects in the county.

“We expect the officials to prioritise the interests of this county to enable us to leave a legacy by 2022,” said the governor.

He told his political opponents to stop persistent criticism and give him time to serve the people.

Mr Orata warned the new officials against laxity and urged them to work as a team in service delivery.

He said the people of Homa Bay were faced with various challenges that would only be addressed well if the entire cabinet worked together.

“Being sworn in is an easy task but service delivery requires toiling. Performance will be the key indicator of your being in office,” said Orata.

Mr Ogwe said the executives would sign performance contracts to monitor how they delivered services.