Nairobi News

Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol released a statement after he survived impeachment at the Senate.

In his statement, the embattled DG said the journey to positive change and progress in Siaya County will begin.

“I take this opportunity to express my heartfelt gratitude to the Almighty God, my legal team, the Senate Committee, my family, friends and above all, the great Siaya people. This journey has been challenging but it has also been a tremendous experience for me. I have come to realize that fighting corruption is an expensive affair,” began DG Oduol.

He went on to confirm that his fight against corruption is driven by ideology and not personal gain. He now intends on making Siaya great by eradicating corruption and making the county a zone of integrity.

“I want to assure my boss, Governor James Orengo, that I am ready and committed to working with him and the team we assembled together to deliver on our ‘It is Possible (Nyalore)’ manifesto. Moving forward, the most important thing for all members of the executive and assembly is to embrace unity of purpose. We must work together to make devolution work for the people of Siaya County,” added DG Oduol.

He went on to appreciate the efforts made by the ODM party, elders, MCAs, professionals and Siaya residents to facilitate reconciliation between himself and Governor Orengo as he called on all his supporters to celebrate his victory with him.

DG Oduol’s impeachment came on the heels of a fall out between himself and Siaya Governor James Orengo. Oduol accused Orengo of colluding with junior county staff to steal over Sh 100 million; and once he became keen on investigating the matter and having it prosecuted, the tables were turned on him and various accusations brought against him.

Yesterday, the Senate Committee found that evidence had been produced to substantiate two charges brought against DG Oduol that he had grossly violated the Constitution and that he had ad abused his office and grossly misconducted himself on the allegation of misleading the public by giving false information.

DG Oduol had been accused of forcing the incurring of expenses of approximately Sh 18 million for which was used to renovate the interior and exterior of his office, purchase of furniture and office equipment including a Sh 1.2 million orthopedic chair for his personal use. He also bought a bookshelf worth Sh 567,700, a mahogany desk worth Sh 336,700, Sh 756,700 for five curved coffee tables with stools, Sh 2,844,000 on 12 executive high back orthopedic desk black leather chairs and Sh 910,000 on a 7-seater executive curved sofa among other expensive furniture. He was also accused of bid-rigging procurement processes to influence who got tenders floated by the County.

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