Siaya duo wash dirty linen as Oduol fights in the Senate

Siaya County Deputy Governor William Oduol during day one of his impeachment hearing before the Senate Special Committee on June 21, 2023. [Elvis Ogina, Standard] Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol spent Sh1.12 million to procure a seat and an equal amount to buy a "presidential table, a Senate committee has heard. Witnesses today told a special Senate committee investigating the impeachment of Oduol by the Siaya county assembly, that he soundproofed his office during renovations worth Sh18 million contrary to procurement laws. Yimbo East ward representative Francis Otiato, who chaired the county assembly committee that impeached Oduol, testified that the embattled deputy governor allegedly directed procurement officers to conduct the said renovations, which were not budgeted for. He told the Elgeyo Marakwet Senator William Kisang'-led committee of calls made to junior officers to prioritise the renovations, providing invoices that put the total amount spent on furniture at Sh11 million. "He was aware that there were no budgetary allocations to the same but made calls even from Mombasa," said Otiato, in attempts to prove that Oduol violated the Constitution. The impeached deputy governor is also charged with abuse of office and gross misconduct for alleged bullying of staff who have expressed concern over their safety. He is also accused of sowing discord among communities in the county by allegedly spreading falsehoods meant to incite residents against Governor James Orengo's government. Earlier, Siaya county assembly's lawyer Willis Otieno told the committee that MCAs impeached the deputy governor to stem alleged "grand heist" in the county, implemented through the bullying of staff, such as Chief Finance Officer Jack Odinga. "The county committed Sh18 million for the benefit of one individual. That amount is 20 per cent of Siaya's bursary allocation... that is happening in a county where the needy sleep on mats," Otieno argued, stating that the office had not been condemned by the public works office to warrant renovation. "He used the peanuts contributed as rates by residents of Siaya to procure personal comfort. After finding the comfort, he looked at where the money was and pressured procurement officers to interfere with ongoing procurement processes," he said claiming that Oduol directed payment to certain service providers at the expense of others. Otieno claimed that the impeached deputy governor influenced tenders, such supply of fertiliser and feeds, which had been reserved for vulnerable groups. "He forced procurement officers to change the categorisation from 'youth' to 'open to anybody'," the lawyer said, a move he alleged was meant to skew the tenders in favour of Oduol's associates, some of whom established shell companies to benefit from tenders including for road works. "They were at liberty to register 20 companies to get 86 tenders... if this set up is allowed to permeate in our county governments, contractors will never get paid unless they have a DG who will push for their payment," he added. "You may wonder why the county assembly impeached him this soon... there is what we call catch them young. Don't allow them to grow." In his opening remarks, Oduol said the claims are fabricated, as he gave the committee a peek into the wastage at the Siaya county Executive, revealing that some Sh100 million was withdrawn as imprest in a suspicious manner within three months. The impeached deputy governor, who termed himself the whistleblower who exposed the rot in the executive, alleged that between November last year and January, huge sums of money were frequently withdrawn from the county's accounts in small installments so as not to attract the attention of the Central Bank. "Every two to three days, there was a Sh2 million withdrawn here, a Sh3 million there... on a particular day, one junior officer was sent to the bank to withdraw Sh900,000, Sh950,000, at different times of the day," Oduol stated, alleging that the Odinga, told him he delivered the cash to Orengo. "He was cagey when I asked where the money went. When I threatened to involve the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, he told me that he took it to Governor James Orengo, who denied receiving the money," he added. The impeached deputy governor claimed that he still witnessed huge withdrawal of funds by the executive despite confronting the governor over the same. He regretted that a ticket he hoped would deliver for the Siaya people - his and Orengo's - had been mired in untold greed. "I am a whistleblower who raised aspects of theft at the county executive... I have become the proverbial hunter who became the hunted." But the county assembly, through Otieno, argued that Oduol had not complained, internally or to investigative agencies, over the alleged impropriety and had resorted to "mob lynching at funerals." On providing misleading information, the county assembly said the impeached deputy governor tried to incite residents of his Alego-Usonga constituency against the executive by claiming that they were sidelined by Orengo's government. Oduol's lawyer Paul Nyamodi, argued that the impeachment motion was predetermined since he lifted the lid on alleged corruption at the county government. "The county assembly arrived at a conclusion - let us get rid of the deputy governor - and worked backwards," Nyamodi said. During Otiato's cross-examination, the lawyer sought to prove that Oduol's impeachment motion did not follow the requisite procedure. The Senate committee denied a request by the assembly to present the Sh1.12 million chair as evidence but plans to visit Siaya to witness the renovations in the deputy governor's office. Oduol will today present his evidence before the committee, which he hopes will save his job.

Siaya duo wash dirty linen as Oduol fights in the Senate

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Siaya duo wash dirty linen as Oduol fights in the Senate

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