Homabay county leaders mourn death of two government officials

Leaders in Homa Bay County have condoled with the families of two county government officials who died recently.

The two, County Chaplain Tom Muombo and County Public Service Board Secretary Agnes Makdwalo, died on Sunday in different hospitals in Nairobi where they were undergoing treatment.

Area Deputy Governor Hamilton Orata, Assembly Speaker Samuel Ochillo and Majority Leader Owino Ooro described the two as dedicated public servants and said their demise was a big blow to the county.

"It is very unfortunate that we have lost the two, whose services were quite exemplary. May they rest in eternal peace," Orata said.

Ochillo said the two passed on at a time when their services were highly needed.

"We had organised a prayer ceremony for the county, which was to be presided over by Pastor Muombo," said Ochillo, adding many people in the county owed their success to Muombo's motivational speeches.

"Muombo was an eloquent preacher and he was not only a county Chaplain but a mediator in conflicts," he said.

Meanwhile, Nyamira County Assembly has said information circulating on social media that the House has passed a new legislation that will see spouses of the Members of County Assembly (MCAs) earn 10 per cent of their basic pay as salary is not true.

Idle minds

The assembly's Clerk Daniel Orina told The Standard that such a legislation has never even come to the floor of the House.

"Our MCAs have never discussed or even contemplated coming up with such a legislation. The news is not true. It's a creation of idle people on social media," Orina said.

In April last year, the speaker of the county assembly and the majority leader were impeached for participating in a Sh30 million insurance scam. The news about the law had elicited sharp reactions from the Kenya online community as the law would have seen the county spend over Sh1 million every month to take care of the spouses of the 33 MCAs.