Kenya Insights

Tag: Corruption in Siaya

  • Cartels change looting tact in Siaya

    Cartels change looting tact in Siaya

    The deeply rooted cartel that has been looting from the coffers of Siaya County since 2013 have diversified their tact from breaching procurement regulations, quoting hiked prices and use of proxy companies to stealing staff pension funds, National Social Security Fund and National Hospital Insurance Fund statutory deductions.

    The new theft was first exposed by Asembo West MCA Ambrose Akuno when LapFund demanded notes made public by as NHIF struggled to trace Sh1 billion that was deducted from the staff payments but not been remitted for a year now.

    MCA Akuno who spoke through a local FM station also revealed that the cartel is run by rogue chief executive committee members who have bought off corrupt MCAs to let them loot. Many MCAs including Akuno were paid some 150k bribe to conceal the Sh 600 million theft.

    The revelations which came barely three weeks since the Directorate of Criminal Investigations ordered the finance department to avail them the records of key accountants from the department who are suspended for stealing county funds has also exposed the rotten theft in Governor Cornell Rasanga’s administration.

    The looting is presided over by finance chief officer Dennis Nyonje who swindled Sh600 million through fake allowances to rogue staff members in their looting ring. The hefty allowances are deducted but never remitted just like a portion of the Sh600 million loot which was paid out as bogus allowances to corrupt staffers who were used to pass the money to the accountants for kickbacks.

    Most of the accountants them invested their kickbacks in tippers, bulldozers and excavators with the plan to out to road contractors who beg for tenders at the county offices. The investments that don’t much their small salaries has raised eyebrows over the source of the overnight wealth.

    Ugunja MP Opiyo Wandayi who is waiting for the endorsement by ODM leader Raila Odinga to go for the Siaya gubernatorial seat also added that corruption is rampant at the finance office. Opiyo who chairs public accounts committee at the national assembly also complained that one of the biggest beneficiaries of Covid-19 stolen billions wants to oust him in Ugunja.

    But Nyony’e scheme was exposed by a contractor whom he used and dumped not knowing he was playing a well connected dirty fellow who is working for Rasanga who throws him lucrative tenders for huge kickbacks. The man is part of the powerful cartel that is estimated to have looted close to Sh8 billion since the onset of devolved units in 2013.

     

  • Exposed: Speaker Okode presiding over looting in Siaya county assembly

    Exposed: Speaker Okode presiding over looting in Siaya county assembly

    Siaya County Assembly Speaker George Okode is leading a ring of cartels that is siphoning public funds through dubious procurement deals with the assembly. Okode tightened his looting games after the court reinstated Felix Olwero as the county assembly clerk-a move that exposed the real struggle to control the county coffers.

    Olwero was suspended in March 2019 after he irregularly allocated himself Sh2 million car loan in 2015 and was quickly replaced by Eric Ogenga who has been holding the position in acting capacity for two years.

    But Ogenga is the speaker’s first cousin who was only planted in the position to facilitate Okode’s looting schemes and to keep Olwero at bay as 2022 fast approaches.

    The corrupt speaker has also managed to pocket a good number of MCAs  who are fed on  per diems. Okode has also penetrated into operations of the county assembly service board which cannot make decisions without his authority. He also ensured that Siaya county’s board vice chairman Maurice Aringo brought in Mr Nyangidi who is his close relative to take charge as the senior internal auditor and cover up their dirty deals.

    Siaya governor Cornel Rasanga [p/courtesy]
    Speaker Okode is using Nyangidi to fight Olwero after it emerged that Nyangidi wrote a damning audit report on him (Olwero) just two months after being planted in the office. Nyangidi who is now presiding over dubious transactions of millions took over from David Okumu who was promoted to the rank of director of finance.

    Okode’s cartel is known for minting millions through exaggerated budget funds, legal services and through purchase of Hansard equipment. He has been using Ogenga (acting clerk) to siphon county funds for his selfish gains and to handle the MCAs through fictitious meetings which are organised to justify allowances at the expense of tax payers.

    He is deeply interested in Siaya politics but he is mostly using his influence to silence his perceived enemies including pushing for fresh charges against Olwero who has been reinstated to his job by the court.

    The speaker wrote a letter on the same day the ruling was delivered where he argued that the court decision did not prohibit the board from proceeding with fresh disciplinary procedures against Olwero.

    “To facilitate further investigations on alleged gross misconduct and pursuant to the provisions of the county assembly Act No 24 of 2017 Section 23, the county assembly service board during its meeting held on April 14 2021 vide minute no MIN/CASB/08/14/21, resolved to interdict you for a period of three months with effect from the date of this letter’’ the letter read in part.