An activist has exposed Siaya Governor James Orengo for working with corrupt individuals to cook dirty deals and loot tax payers’ money. One concerened Mr. James Okoth is challenging the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) to move with speed and probe the governor over theft of millions of shillings that have characterized his few days in power.
Orengo is being entangled in fresh scandals over theft of millions of shillings and irregular issuance of tenders and procurement of services. Junior staffers are accusing the ODM governor of colluding with Chief Finance Officer (CFO) Jack Odinga to swindle county coffers.
Siaya County has already lost more than Sh 40 million since Orengo became governor in August 2022 with millions have been withdrawn from the government accounts through fictitious imprest acquisitions using junior officers.
The governor also splashed more than Sh 8 million on Members of County Assembly to armtwist them to approve the supplementary budget. His corrupt colleagues have bribed EACC officials who are now reluctant to launch investigations over the theft presided over by a governor who claims to be a reformist.
Siaya coffers remain the most exhausted by corrupt leaders, close to Sh600 million went missing just days before the August 9 general elections under the watch of Orengo’s predecessor, Mr. Cornel Rasanga who abused power, stole from county coffers and used taxpayer’s money to take his family and mistresses on holidays.
Looting in the home county of ODM leader Raila Odinga became smooth and easy after the MCAs and executive officers relinquished their oversight role on one another and agreed to loot as one institution.
More than 400 million was paid out spuriously between 1st July and 12th July a few days before Governor Rasanga retired. Documents showed that Siaya County executive paid a total of Sh11,254,800 to four individuals including Mr. Silvester Douglas Ogolla, Mr. Kevin Ochieng Masawa, Anthony Odiwuor Omollo, and Muga Erick Omollo who were clerks of various committees in the assembly.
Orengo’S regime has not ushered in any new dawn for the Luo Nyanza County but has been a continuation of blatant theft that marked the tenure of his presdecessor.
A preliminary audit report released on December 29, 2022 unearthed questionable transactions amounting to billions of shillings transferred to individual accounts between 2021 and 2023. Fake transactions amounting to Sh332.8 million were made from an imprest account during the reign of Rasanga in pretense of petty cash.
The report revealed that the transactions did not qualify to be listed as petty cash, pointing to possible misappropriation of funds by county officials.
