Migori County Speaker Gordon Ogolla (holding the mic) address a crowd at Assembly ground at a past event

Four members of the Migori County Assembly have been indicted by the Ombudsman’s office over fraudulent foreign trips to India and Arusha.

The trips cost the assembly more than Sh13 million.

A report by the Commission on Administrative Justice (CAJ), chaired by Dr Otiende Amolo, on Thursday said it found the four guilty of misbehaviour in office and unresponsiveness.

The indicted MCAs are Boaz Okoth Owiti (North Kadem), who is also the deputy Speaker, William Abed Maroa (Masaba), Samuel Rioba Kongani (Nyamosense-Komosoko) and Bernard Abwao Ochieng (God Jope).

The findings by the Ombudsman revealing the blatant misuse of public funds by some devolved units is a test to the political future of the MCAs.

This is because the recommendations are expected to be forwarded to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) for use in future vetting.

Fraudulent claims have been the order of the day, especially among MPs and MCAs, with some picking allowances for trips they don’t take.

The lawmakers at times allow themselves to be booked to travel only to abscond on the day of the trip without cancelling the air tickets and the hotel bookings.

PER DIEM

The four received per diem allowances for a trip to India involving 36 MCAs, including the Speaker and the County Assembly Clerk, in which Sh13,279,328 was spent.

The four, however, did not travel despite having received their allowances.

Mr Owiti pocketed Sh130,000 while Mr Maroa, Mr Kongani and Mr Ochieng each received Sh152,850, but were a no-show when the rest of the delegation took their trip to India.

During investigations by the commission, the four MCAs gave “interesting” excuses for having failed to take the trip to India.

Some claimed they instead opted to travel to Arusha in neighbouring Tanzania, for another conference during the period.

“Four MCAs… Hon Boaz Okoth Owiti, the Deputy Speaker and MCA North Kadem Ward, Hon William Abed Maroa, MCA Masaba Ward and chair of the County Assembly Budget and Appropriations Committee, Hon Samuel Rioba Kongani, MCA Nyamonsesse-Komosoko and Bernard Abwao Ochieng, MCA God Jope Ward, received per diem but did not travel to India,” the report revealed.

According to the Ombudsman’s report, Mr Owiti and Mr Moroa later provided stamped passports purporting to have travelled to Arusha.

They, however, failed to provide any conference reports, proof of accommodation or any other document that could confirm their Arusha business.

DID NOT TRAVEL

Said the report: “The commission is therefore compelled to draw an adverse inference that they did not travel.

“CAJ send notices to the MCAs asking them to provide documentation for their alleged Arusha trip but no responses came forth.

“It is inferred that Hon Okoth Owiti and Hon Willian Abed Maroa are unresponsive and discourteous State officers,” said the report prepared by Dr Amolo.

It notes that when the investigations team contacted the Programmes Officer at the East African Legislative Assembly Kennedy Akolo, who is claimed to have organised the Arusha event, he promised to respond but never did.

The report further stated: “Hon Bernard Abwao Ochieng and Hon Rioba Kongani confessed that despite receiving per diem and other travel allowances, they did not travel.”

“Mr Ochieng is said to have “fallen sick” and was admitted to Oruba Nursing and Maternity Home while Mr Kongani did not have a valid passport by the day of travel,” said the report.

In its recommendation, the commission is now urging clerks and county assemblies to ensure travel allowances are not paid until trips are confirmed.

The report says imprests should be surrendered within 48 hours as required by law.

It further said: “CAJ will share this report with the IEBC for purposes of vetting the state officers in future elections and appointments.”

Migori County Assembly was in recently in the news for allocating another Sh5 million for “benchmarking trip” by some MCAs to Dubai for a waste management study.

(Via Daily Nation)