As a result of his egregious misconduct and misuse of position, the 42 Siaya County Assembly members unanimously decided to remove him from office.
Oduol’s brief tenure as the devolved unit’s second in command is now at the mercy of the Senate, which will determine his destiny.
The MCA’s decision came after a report from a special committee investigating his conduct determined that the accusations made against him were true.
The embattled DG was criticized by MCAs during the discussion of the report for not appearing and providing his perspective. Nearly all MCAs criticized Oduol for allegedly abusing his position by 6 o’clock, even though a vote to impeach him had not yet been held.
Oduol, according to Speaker George Okode, denied himself the opportunity to be heard. “We sent out official invitations from our office, including via the select committee. A personal email address that he had shared received the message. But we must move forward with the impeachment procedure,” Okode stated.
The County Assembly claims that a call from the clerk’s office was made yesterday after an official email was received on Wednesday at midnight.
Yesterday, the ward representatives argued that Oduol interfered with the delivery of certified seeds and fertilizer and the hiring of contractors for various road projects, in violation of Section 47(1) of the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act, 2015, even though they supported the special committee’s report.
Additionally, they asserted that witness accounts supporting the Deputy Governor’s charges against Oduol, including the fact that he forced the head of the county procurement unit to provide him with a preliminary evaluation report for the tender for the supply and delivery of certified seeds and fertilizer, were provided.
The ward reps stated in their report that Oduol violated procurement rules by acting in a manner that was “ultra vires to provisions of procurement laws” since he lacked the qualifications of a procurement expert.
The MCAs asserted that the Deputy Governor’s activities in pressuring unbudgeted expenditure violated procurement laws. They contended that Oduol didn’t use government resources improperly by attending a meeting in a Mombasa hotel in his personal rather than official position as the Deputy Governor.
The investigation stated that “he caused the county department of Governance and Administration to facilitate him and three other officers, whose relevance to the ICPAK meeting could not be confirmed as they were not members of the ICPAK, apart from the driver whose roles were unquestionably essential.”
Additionally, the MCAs asserted that Oduol forced Martin Okwata, the County Director of Supply Chain Management, to comply with his whims and alter the criteria of a few tenders.
Yimbo East MCA Francis Otiato, who serves as the chairman of the county assembly’s AD Hoc committee, claimed that the proof provided to the committee supported Oduol’s detractors. Otiato stated that their data supported the claim that the public was misled by the dissemination of incorrect information.
Ugenya MCA in North Ben Adala remarked that it was absurd that the same DG, who was prowling the country screaming about corruption, was unaware of the procurement issue with the refurbishment of his office.
“We struggle to pay for the most important things, including health care and bursaries, yet the DG remained silent as large sums of money were utilized to remodel and purchase luxury furnishings for his office. The Senate, in which he appears to have faith, will find us prepared,” Adala said.
The Sigomere MCA Andrew Omwende, said before Oduol went to them, he believed he had very important information and proof to support his claims.
