Leading Siaya County officials have been accused of leading the corruption ring that stole over Ksh. 400 million from the public coffers just weeks before the general elections.
Alego Usonga Member of Parliament Samuel Atandi told a press conference at his offices in Siaya on Friday that if the county officials don’t leave after a week, he will organize a massive demonstration to force them out.
Joseph Ogutu, the county secretary, has been linked to the syndicate by Atandi, who is now calling for his resignation. Cornel Rasanga, a former governor, was Ogutu’s boss.
“The cartel from the previous regime thinks that they are untouchable after getting rich from stolen public funds,” said the legislator.
He claimed the officials were members of a cartel that ransacked the county and used the money they had obtained illegally to hide their wrongdoings.
As one of his first actions after taking office, Governor Orengo ordered a forensic audit in the county after learning of the Ksh. 400 million loss.
Without sugarcoating it, Siaya’s treasury is rotten. The public is aware that cases of misappropriation within the county government are being looked into by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission as well. It must be done quickly because that is the right thing to do, according to Governor Orengo.
A day after the governor’s remarks, representatives of the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) paid a visit to the county government’s administrative center and left a letter addressed to Joseph Ogutu, the county secretary, requesting that his office turn over a variety of documents to the investigators.
