Embattled Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol has been accused of spending Sh18 million of taxpayers’ money to renovate his office for personal comfort.
Siaya MCAs described Oduol as a high-handed individual who does not entertain any contrary opinion and asked the senate to uphold his impeachment.
Willis Otieno, the MCAs’ lawyer, emphasised the importance of removing Oduol from office at this point “lest he grows into a monster.”
“Cut them young. Do not allow a monster to grow. When you realise that a tree is bending, you cut it while still young,” said Otieno.
Otieno accused Oduol of coercing county procurement officials to buy him a presidential chair and desk worth Sh1.12 million, funds that would have gone towards bursaries, in early submissions to the Senate committee.
According to the MCAs, Oduol spent Sh1.1 million on a “presidential” chair in violation of the procurement plan.
“The county had spent Sh18 million of the taxpayers’ monies for the personal comfort of an individual. We will demonstrate that Sh18 million constitutes 20 percent of the county’s bursary allocation,” said Otieno.
Otieno told the Senate Ad hoc Committee hearing Oduol’s impeachment trial that the embattled DG asked procuring officials for Sh2 million to make his office soundproof.
“He ignored the County Procurement plan in demanding for the renovation of his office, to make it soundproof and purchase a presidential table and chair,” Otieno submitted to the committee.
According to the lawyer, Oduol used his ‘frustrations’ to lynch the procurement officials who refused to approve his request.
Otiono claimed that Oduol would occasionally attend funerals and attack county officials for not approving his request.
“The county assembly never approved the commitment of the Sh18 million for personal comfort of an individual. The former DG had successfully served the people of Siaya with the same furniture without condemnation by public works department. The first thing the Deputy Governor did was to intimidate and bully the procurement for his personal comfort,” said Otieno.
Yimbo East MCA Francis Otiato Otieno, the County Assembly’s first witness, told the committee that Oduol was given a chance to substantiate all of his claims, particularly the withdrawal of large sums of money from county coffers, but he failed to do so.
Otiato testified before the Senate committee that Oduol violated the constitution and other laws and abused his position.
“Other than hearsay and hot air, the response given by the Deputy Governor failed to substantiate his allegations,” said Otiato.
In his defence, the beleaguered deputy governor claimed that he was targeted for removal for being a whistle-blower in financial malpractice in the County Executive.
In his opening remarks to the Senate Special Committee, Oduol described himself as a hunter turned hunted for drawing the attention of the Siaya county to how Governor James Orengo and his junior staff were stealing funds.
“The nature of my impeachment at the county assembly level was narrow, ill-informed, limited, misguided and choreographed to favour those abetting high crimes. I have been targeted simply because I am opposed to maladministration, I have challenged status quo and insisted on strict internal controls. I am the proverbial hunter that has become the hunted,” said Oduol.
“The drawing of political lines informs and oils the motivation behind the impeachment motion against me. Throughout Siaya County and even among sons and daughters of Siaya living away from home, the prosecution and my subsequent impeachment at the county assembly has failed to ignite the passions of the whole community,” he added.
Oduol said that his impeachment was done in an impartial, ill-informed and unfair manner.
