KISUMU MAYOR IN BIG SCANDAL AS HE IS SAID TO BE SPENDING EXHORBITANTLY IN HOTEL ACCOMMODATION AND ENTERTAINMENT.
Leo Odera OmoloIo Kisumu City
The Kisumu City Mayor Coun. Sam Okello is allegedly causing financial embarrassment to the residents, city fathers and the general public due to his excessively expensive lifestyle.
A source in the City has alleged that the Mayor has secured permanent residence in the posh and exclusive members only club, the Nyanza Club, which is located in the Milimani area. It is being alleged that the Mayor is squandering close to Kshs 300,000 monthly in accommodation and entertainment allowances apart from his usually renumeration.
Mr. Okello formerly a Mombasa based businessman who was fished from the coastal city allegedly by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga and hurriedly nominated to the Council earlier int year is a former KANU operative in both Mombasa and Muhoroni areas and a perennial parliamentary election loser in Muhoroni constituency, is being accused of applying KANU mentalities and tactics in an ODM dominated Council
It is being alleged that the Mayor has irregularly awarded the privatized refuse collection to his fellow former KANU operative in Muhoroni a Mr Ogut who is now carrying home over Kshs. 2.2 million every months, and yet the Council employees whose monthly wage bill stands at Kshs 18 million are idling themselves in the City main parks without any tangible job to do towards the city cleanliness.
The refuse collection and slashing of bushes exercise has now rendered the Council workers semi-redandantâ€, said a source.
It is further being alleged that the Mayor recent act, which has raised eyebrows of many residents, is the irregular awarding of a tender worth Kshs 2.8 million for the renovation work of the house of the Prime Minister. The house is located in the posh Milimani estate.
It is being further that the Mayor had single handedly and unilaterally awarded the repair work tender to a firm in which he personally had vested economic interests .
Some Indian businessmen in the City, are alleged to have contributed a colossal amount money in voluntary donations towards the same repair work in the PMâ€s house.The alleged donations by Asian businessmen topped up the total amount to be in excess of Kshs 4 million.
But a recent physical assessment revealed that the work actually carried out in the ground leaves a lot to be desired. It was actually done by the staff from the Ministry of Works. And did not exceed Kshs 400,000 in value The residents are now up in arms and wanted the Mayor to publicly account for the money..
The common saying is that the Kisumu Mayor is the most expensive one among the 175 or so civic bodies in the country. .The Mayor is glued and permanently holed inside the Mayor’s parlour from Monday to Sunday. The Mayor’s flag remained flying on the bonnet of the car for day and night, and residents were now dump folded while wondering as to whether the City has now a an executive Mayor.
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Other rumours making the round in Kisum,u and its environs is that the Mayor is a relative or a cousin of Mrs Ida Odinga, and he is from Gem Umani. The speculation is pointing a finger that his recent venture in Kisumu City politics after when he was handed a devastating defeat in Muhoroni Parliamentary election by the Assistant Minister and the area MP Prof. Patrick Ayiecho Olueny.
According to the ODM sources, Mayor Okello was brought to Kisumu in order to strengthened the services to the resident and improvement of service delivery to the resident. But already the resident are reading malice and mischief
During the repair work at the PM’s, it was the KEWASCO technicians who carried out the pipe laying and water tanks installation in the compound, and the resident are wondering where the money paid out.
It could be remember4ed that only two months ago, a prominent Kisumu businessman who had occupied the Council’s House at the posh Milimani estate was thrown out of the said under the pretext that it was to be used as the new Mayor’s official residence.
Mr Gordon Kaoko and his family were thrown out of the house, which they have been occupying for the last two years understandably on an agreement between him and the Council when the Municipal askaris raided the house at dawn\ and threw his belonging out. It was an exercise which many Kisumu residents felt had lacked human face.
The Council then defended itself saying it could not rent its property out to someone else when the City Mayor had no official residence. But three months have lapsed, and yet the Mayor is still staying in a posh members exclusive club.
The Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello could not be reached for comment. A phone call placed on his cellphone number went unanswered for three days.
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leooderaomolo
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Date: Fri, 19 Sep 2008 07:52:50 -0700 (PDT)
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: KISUMU MAYOR IN BIG SCANDAL
We need a mayor who will implement strict revenue collection, curb corruption, perform urban planning, and cut unnecessary extravagant costs.
It is embarassing that the Mayor is living lavishly when most residents of kisumu do not have supply of clean water for household usage.
His nomination should be revoked if he can not live upto expectation.
We need someone like John Gakuo of Nairobi in Kisumu to transform the town!
Thermeru mayor
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Don’t attempt to tarnish people’s names in matters you have no knowledge about. Whoever wrote this article is clearly unarmed with even literary skill let alone information to paint a bad image about the former mayor. He has done a lot for Kisumu, more than any previous mayor, look at all the foreign investors from Sweden, Germany, the US, Norway amongst others that are helping Kisumu now. He is responsible for all this.