Migori MCAs, Speaker clash over graft report

Migori Members of the County Assembly (MCAs) want the Assembly Speaker Gordon Ogolla to step aside following allegations of misappropriating Ksh 12 million public funds.

West Sakwa Ward Representative Philip Ouma Odera called on the Speaker to step aside like any other individual after the County Public Investment Account Committee linked him to embezzlement of funds.

He said the pronouncement made by Assembly Majority Leader Richard Solo and his minority counterpart Charles Nyangi is a good gesture of leadership in countering corruption.

Ouma noted that the case of misappropriation of county funds is a concern to every member of the assembly and the public adding that the findings in the report are not malicious.

He said the issue is not to impeach the Speaker as being propagated by a section of the media but for him to step aside like other implicated officials to allow investigation on the matter.

He further urged other MCAs not to politicise the matter but to allow the county assembly to conduct its oversight role to unveil the truth.

On Wednesday, the assembly sessions were disrupted after hundreds of youth stormed the premise in support of the MCAs who have been in recent past accused of misappropriating over Ksh 12 million.

The youth stormed the county assembly to disrupt an alleged plan to impeach the Speaker and other officials after the Public Investments and Accounts Committee reportedly unearthed financial irregularities.

Several MCAs, who were caught in the premises, including the committee members Jared Osawa (South Sakwa Ward Representative), Jack Gucha (Kakrao) and Joshua Ongoma (East Kamagambo), were reportedly roughed up by the irate youth.

According to reports, the seven member committee investigated and recommended that Ogola, Clerk Patrick Wakine, Majority Leader Richard Solo (North Kamagambo) and Minority Leader Charles Nyangi (Isebania) should step aside to allow further investigations.

The committee report claimed that Ksh 900,000 was irregularly paid to an advocate, a similar amount was paid to a contractor and a top assembly official spent Ksh 30,000 on a meal.

Osawa further claimed that Ogola withdrew Ksh 1.5 million to hire the youth to stop any efforts to hold him to account.

The Speaker, however, defended himself saying the plot to have him step aside was politically motivated and had nothing to do with corruption.

Migori County was in the recent past criticized for allegedly spending Ksh 5.8 million on 16 MCAs who traveled to Dubai to learn about waste management.

In 2013-2014 Financial Year, the county assembly spent about Ksh 8 million on foreign trips.