Investigative Report By Leo Odera Omolo

Storm is brewing within Awendo Town Council following resignation in huff on Monday of four chairmen of the Council’s standing committee s citing massive corruption, misused of the Council’s resources, theft of plots and numerous shady deals.

Awebdo is a small rural farming town, which is located in Rongo district ibn Nyanza Province. It is a small urban town with a booming business due to the fact that the multimillion government owned sonysugar company is established within its berometers

Those who tendered their resignation letters and surrendered their chairmanship seats include Coun.Roseline Orucho Dimo{East Sakwa},Coun Benson Odera Wene who is the ODM Rongo branch deputy chairman and a nominated Councillor who was the chairman of the Cess Committee,Coun Nathaniel Oloo Owalo {North Sakwa}chairman of the Environment Committee and Coun David Okora Ndira a nominated Councillor a member of the cess committee.

The four handed their resignation letters to the Town Clerk on Monday morning saying they were not ready to travel in a vehicle which they don’t know its destination.At the same time alleging that Kshs 12 million, which was recently received as part of the cess money payment, which is normally deducted from the farmers proceeds for the pair of roads within the sugar growing zone was banked on an individual bank account without the knopwkledge of the Council.

They called upon the Ministry of Local government to investigate the scam or send the Kenya Anti-Corruption commission’s sleuths to do to Awendo to investigate what they terms as massive looting by a cartel of few civic leaders and chief officers.

Other scandals they cited include contracts or the installation of security lights, poor infrastructural work, demolition of kiosks and illegal structure, which they claim is being done selectively..

Other allegation cited by the disgruntled civic leaders include the illegal allocation of plots, which are done by the nights and also fencing work of such plots are usually carried out during the wee hours of the night.

The Council Chairman Coun Johnson Owiro was accused for having grabbed four land plots next to the National Cereal and Produce BoardNCPB}in Awendo Town. The Council is unable to pay its lowest working class their salaries which is varied from Kshs 2500 per months, whereas the Councilors are known to be allocating themselves fat allowances each time they spent a night outside the town. They are raking 6000/.

Coun Mrs Roseline Dimo, who is the deputy chairperson if the Council accused the chairman of excessive arrogance and lack of respect for her position..

Non of the four plots grabbed by the Council chairman had been discussed nor approved by the \council, and civic leaders were puzzled to learn that the plots were fenced at night.

Construction work are dished out to relatives and friends and cost inflated to create rooms for “kick-backs”. There were also allegations about the misuse of the Council’s only vehickle., which it is being alleged is being hired out to individuals on deals usual sanctioned by the Chief Officers.

Both the Town Clerk and the Council chairman were not available for immediate comment. Nyakune dispensary for which money was budgeted four years is yet to be completed and the Councilors wanted the Treasury to explain the reason for the delays.

He councilors showedthe press their resignation letters, saying that the situation was o bad
and growing from bad to worse by days.

Awendois still grapples with the allegations of the grabbed 6.7 hectare plots previously
earmarked by the government for the construction of nursery, primary schools. But it was
recently discovered that only 14 acres are still intact, the rest are reported to have already
bee grabbed by the civic leaders and chief officers.

Information emerging out of this tiny rural farming town, which is next to the
multimillion Sony Sugar complex says the government has ordered those who grabbed
the land plot at Awendo have their house demolished and the construction work on the
three schools should start by September this year,but those who had grabbed
the land without going through the laid down processes will have themselves to blame.
.
The Ministry of Lands, according to a source in Awendo recently dispatched a team of
surveyors to the Town to unearth the alleged massive land scam. The surveyor discovered
that out of the 6.7 set aside and earmarked for the schools had been allocated to private
developers.
Ends
leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Tue, 7 Apr 2009 06:00:00 -0700 [04/07/2009 08:00:00 AM CDT]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: AWENDO COUNCIL CHAIRMEN RESIGNS IN HUFF CITING MISUSE OF RESOURCES, SHADY DEALS AND THEFT OF COUNCIL’S PLOTS AT NIGHT