By REUBEN MUSONIK, POLITICAL EDITOR, THE DISPATCH DGITAL
A Member of the County Assembly (MCA) in Migori County is allged to have drafted an impeachment motion against Governor George Ochilo Ayacko Mbogo, which is supposed to be presented and tabled at the County Assembly immediately. The motion, allegedly put forward by MCA Felix Okwanyo, accuses Governor Ayacko, who is serving his first term, of violating the Constitution and breaching financial laws outlined in the Public Finance Management Act of 2012.
The petition, which was published on social media on Saturday, claims that the Migori County Government has been functioning without any political interference but alleges that numerous instances of impunity and breaches of the law have been witnessed since 2022, following the general election. The petition calls for Ayacko’s impeachment on the grounds of abuse of office and misappropriation of funds.
Specifically, the petition accuses Ayacko of abusing his office by ordering the recruitment of casual staff without the knowledge of the Migori County Public Service Board, contravening the County Government Act. It also accuses the Governor of irregularly advertising positions within the County Public Service while knowing that the process was flawed and the positins had been copetitvely advertised and filled ealier.
The motion claims that Ayacko has hired staff illegally, bypassing the authority of the County Public Service Board (CPSB). Although the motion has been dismissed by some as fake, it raises serious concerns about governance in Migori under Ayacko’s administration. Some of the irregularities are that Ayacko hired his cousin, Maurice Odhiambo Oindo, as the County Revenue Director without a competitive recruitment process, allowing him to control county revenues without proper accountability.
There were howeve reports in the social mediathat the mpotion was fake and had been drafted by Ayacko’s detracotrs in the county. Some fingers pointed at Uriri MP Mark Nyamita and Suna West MP Peter Francis Masara, Ayakocko’s biggest contenders for the Luo-dominated contest for governor of Migori, as a Kuria, the minority ethnic group in Migori, stands no real chance. Investigations by The Dispatch Digital however indicated that it may have originated from different quarters.
Ayacko, who claims to be a lawyer by training, has been criticised for governing without a clear agenda and for allegedly claiming credit for national government projects. Out of KSh 22 billion disbursed to his administration, there is little to show in terms of development projects or programmes.
Should Ayacko be impeached, his deputy, Mahiri Gimunta, would be expected to assume office. However, Raila Odinga, Ayacko’s political benefactor, is unlikely to allow this, given his past actions to maintain political control in the region. Odinga has previously intervened to prevent the impeachment of former Governor Okoth Obado and stopped the elevation of the late Deputy Governor Nelson Mahanga Mwita pn gounds that he was a Kuria and not Luo. Had he been Luo, Raila would have allowed Obado’s impeachment.
Ironically, The move to keep Obado, a Lu, in office was led by Junet Sheikh Mohammed, the ethnic Somali MP for Suna East who often manifests a deep but inexplicabe dislike for Kurias who do not support his expansionist, manipulative and often contemptuously deprecatory and predatory behaviour towards the Luo of Suna East, who he also treats as a community without homegrown indigenous leaders.
Ayacko is reportedly relying on the support of Christopher Rusana, the Speaker of the County Assembly, to block the impeachment motion. Rusana, a former County Secretary who faced corruption charges but was cleared under controversial circumstances, is said to have been elected Speaker with the help of cash incentives offered by Ayacko to the MCAs. Through this elections, Ayacko betrayed the hopes os a man he had brought to believe would be elected; former Suna West MP Obiero Ndiege, who had been mosled into thinking he could become Speaker despote his idnependent mind, yet the sort of people Ayacko wants to have in hisadministration are those he can control and manipulate and any person who has exhibited indepemdent behaviour is quickly kicked out as it would prevent his efforts o make as much money out of the Migori Cunty Giovernment as he wishes.
If tabled, an impeachment motion woul signal that, despite Ayacko’s efforts to control the County Assembly through intimidation and fear, he remains unpopular and has failed to deliver on his promises to the people of Migori. Political observers indicate that one of two MPs, Peter Francis Masara or Mark Ogola Nyamita, could emerge as a formidable challenger to Ayacko in the 2027 gubernatorial election.
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Migori Governor Ochilo Ayacko Defies Court, Advertises Illegal and Non-Existent Jobs
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