Ward reps question Governor Rasanga's foreign trips

Siaya Governor Cornel Rasanga. The legislator is currently in Russia. [File, Standard]

Governor Cornel Rasanga's foreign trips have landed him in trouble with MCAs demanding an account.

The leaders want the governor to furnish them with a statement on the returns, investment and expenditure of the foreign trips.

Sigomere MCA Erick Odawa last week tabled a Motion, which was overwhelmingly backed with his peers, to the Executive member in charge of governance George Rubiik, to give them an account of all county funded trips since the 2013/14 financial year.

The ward reps specifically want, details of total costs incurred by the governor and his entourage in the trips, their purposes and objectives.

"We want the governor to explain before the passage of the 2019/20 Financial Year budget," said Mr Odawa.

But yesterday, the MCAs regretted that the governor was yet to respond.

Mr Rubiik, however, told The Standard he was yet to receive such a Motion from the Assembly.

The Governor is currently in Russia, a week after touring South Africa with Kisumu Senator Fred Outa, his deputy James Okumbe and Chief of Staff Auscar Wambiya for an "investment seeking tour."

Last month Mr Rasanga, with his CEC for Water and Environment Adrian Ouma was in Spain also scouting investment.

"His overseas trips have not yielded anything so far. We are only left wondering what they are for," said Irene Awino, a resident of Ugenya sub-county.

She went on: "The county has funded more than 15 "investment searching" trips to overseas countries, but we are yet to receive a single investment. This is absurd."

Immediately after his 2017 re-election, Rasanga left for a study trip, a two week training on early childhood development at The Harvard School of Government in the United States.

A few months later, he flew to Malaysia, then Morocco, to represent the council of Governors in some training. Rasanga also flew to Singapore then to France before returning to the US, again.

The MCAs are also pushing to know whether the governor's trips are official or have become personal at the expense of the tax payers.