By MN Reporter,
A section of Migori county leaders allied to the Orange Democratic Movement party has vowed that leaders from outside the county are welcomed.
They castigated a group of MCAs who said last visit in Migori county by Siaya Senator James Orengo and Gem MP Jakoyo Midiwo were they said the county has a widespread corruption coverage was in bad faith to governor Okoth Obado.
Led by Deputy Speaker Boaz Okoth and North Kanyamkago member George Omamba who said were representing 30MCAs, the group said they will not tolerate external disturbance in county leadership.
But the team has said they are planning a major rally in the county next week which will bring 10 Cord affiliated senators and over 20 MPs to campaign for the new referendum push and address corruption cases after MCAs failed on their watchdog role.
Uriri politician Omondi Gwonyo, who is coordinating the rally said that MCAs in the county have chosen to remain silent on corruption after “being offered hefty sitting allowances which are among the highest in the country.”
“MCAs should stop intimidating other Nyanza leaders who are pointing out on massive corruption in the county which has been revealed in the national report,” he said.
ODM politician Samuel Obrien and the party’s Secretary General Joseph Olala, said that the Controller of Budget report that indicted county MCAs allowance of Sh125.6m which passed their allocation by 116.2 per cent didn’t augur will in their moral authority.
“No MCA or any committee in the house has given any statement over the audit report condemning corruption in county as they have gone to bed with the executive,” Obrien said.
The leaders who were speaking in Migori town yesterday also said ODM MCAs who had gone to State House over apology went against party’s standing.
But speaking to the Star, assembly Speaker Gordon Ogolla defended the assembly saying they have been playing their oversight role.
“The allowances were high because we had initially budgeted with 40 elected members before we had a surplus of 13 nominated ones,” he said.
He said the high allowances were also caused by special sitting to approval appointments, public participation forums and preparation of county strategic paper and development plan.
“We had our allowances paid within our budget, what the controller didn’t indicate is that we funded it with a supplementary budget,” he said.
He said they have been playing their watchdog role as they have several reports on excess of the executive but said they were yet to official receive notification of an audit report which showed over Sh300million couldn’t be accounted for in Migori.
“As the chairman of the financial department in the assembly, we are yet to get official notification which we will forward to the board and assembly for discussion,” he said.
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