Oloo, county assembly in fresh wrangles over assembly assets

The Kisumu County Assembly is embroiled in a fresh battle with former Speaker Onyango Oloo over assembly assets that had been in his possession.

The assets, valued at about Sh2 million, include household items that were used to furnish a house the assembly had rented for Mr Oloo.

Yesterday, assembly officials and orderlies were surprised to find the house empty, with only a table left behind. Acting clerk Owen Ojuok reported the matter at Central Police Station under OB59/12/2019, even as it emerged that Oloo had taken away the furniture after his impeachment.

According to records seen by The Standard, the furniture in contention include executive display tables valued at Sh580,000, leather sofa sets valued at Sh756,000, coffee tables valued at Sh360,000 as well as a king-sized bed.

“We only learnt that assembly assets, which the assembly had bought for the house rented for the former speaker were missing when we sent an officer to check the house,” said Ojuok.

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According to him, they were yet to establish the whereabouts of the furniture by yesterday, and insisted that they belonged to the county assembly and should not have been moved.

The development comes a few days after the Industrial Court ordered Oloo to return a vehicle that had been in his possession.

Yesterday, however, Oloo told The Standard that the furniture that had been at his official residence had been bought for him as a speaker, and argued that even his predecessors did not return theirs.

“I removed the items from the house because they had already withdrawn security for the house and it was a rented premise. If they want me to return them, I will do so or they can calculate the value of depreciation so that I compensate,” said Oloo, whose ouster has split the county assembly, with some MCAs fighting for his return through an appeal.