KISUMUMAYOR FACE REBELLION FOLLOWING ALLEGATION OF MASSIVE LOOTING OF CDF/LATF FUNDS ACCUSATIONS THAT HE IS ONLY FAVORING THERAILA’S FAMILY IN COUNCIL TENDER AWARDS,

AN Investigative Report By Leo Odera Omolo

THE Kisumu Mayor Sam Okello, a man who was only fished from the coastal town of Mombasa by the Prime Minister Raila Odinga who nominated him as a Councilor and immediately imposed him on the elected civic leaders to become their Mayo9r after his own businesses were alleged to have already gone burst if facing serious rebellion.

He is likely to go down in history as a one term Mayor. His previous election was controversial as the elected civic leaders vehemently opposed the idea of imposing an outside to be the Mayor of the lake side town. Okello is a non=resident. But his mentor Raila Odinga had an up-hill task of persuading the City father to accept Okelloi. Raila convened an impromptu meeting of all the elected civic leaders at the Rock Motel, which is located twenty kilometers north=west of Kisumu on the main Maseno-Busia road.

Raila coerced the Counmcillor to elect Okello telling them that he [Okello] as an experienced and successful business tycoon in Mombasa would use his wealth of experience to attract more investment for the town. And the Councilors reluctantly gave in and picked Okello as their Mayor, though the majority of them had maintained reservation..

The Kisumu City fathers are seriously divided into three camps. Okello still enjoys the backing and support of only seven Councillors led by Raila Odinga step brother Omondi Odinga and one heckler called Onunga of Nyalenda.Ward Odinga represents Milimani Ward.

Coun Omondi Odinga had good reason to support the Mayor. He was recently awarded lucrative Council tenders to repair and renovate Central add Arya Primary Schools within the Municipality, while his sister Anyango Odinga scooped another tender of repairing Jamhuri and Taifa Parks. The tenders are worth millions of shillings.

Those on the firing line, who are expected to give Mayor Okello a run for his money include the populist Coun Pamela Jossy, the immediate former Mayor Coun. Priska Auma and the controversial Kolwa East Ward Coun . Robert Oruko Otuge a firebrand who has given sleepless nights to the Kisumu Town East MP Shakeel Ahmed Shabbir.

It was revealed during politically charged meeting at the ODM kisumu branch off the Kakamega road, that the Mayor has been dishing out lucrative tenders exclusively to his loyal supporters.The same is with devolving funds disbursed by the government for development activities within the Municipality. The town is entitled to both LATFD and Cdf funding formits socio-economic projects.

But a damning report compiled by the National Taxpayers Association, an independent, non-partisan organization which had carried the forensic auditing of all government aided projects in the Town has inflicted a big damage on the Mayor. And if the NTA auditing report is anything to go by,Okello re-election could be a foregone issue.

..The detailed audit report by NTA has revealed that the City had received the sums of Kshs 15,m778,350 for the 2007=2007 financial year from LATF and unspecified amount from the CDF committees from both Kisumu Town East and Kisumu Town West. Both the two constituencies are part and parcel of the Kisumu municipality therefore the Council is entitled for allocation of the devolving funds from the government meant for projects in the two parliamentary constituencies.’

Out of the colossal amount of money received by the Council under Sam Okello’s Mayor ship, it budgeted for Kshs 11,722,875 for the financial year 2007-2007. And out of the amount received Kshs 4,045,175 mysteriously disappeared and remained unaccounted for.

The Council had the largest number of abandoned , unfinished. and ghost projects, which had already consumed and exhausted the budgeted amount, but for which the work never took off from the ground for some unexplained reasons..

Some of the semi fished projects were classified as “A” class. These are projects in which the amount of construction work put up so far is almost over 90 per cent and above. Most of the projects were classified by the team of auditor as being of class ‘B’ and class’s’. B class are these projects where the work done is medium averaging between 60 and 80per cent, followed by C class in which the construction work done is between 40 and 50 per cent. There are also several projects which were classified as Class’ “C” with the work done is below 40 per cent and those of class D which had consumed the budgeted amount but only between 10 and 3o per cent of total work done.

A good number of projects within Kisumu Municipality were categorized and classified as “Missing” and yet a lot of taxpayers money has been squandered on them..

The project status are listed as follows; ‘complete, incomplete/stalled, incomplete and does not exist.

Among those listed by auditors as ghost or missing include Oriang’/Kianja Primary School in Central Kajulu Location in Kisumu Town East Constituency. Kshs 736,649,00 allocated to this project is now considered lost. Unac counted for sums is Kshs 736,349 and only Kshs 300/- as put to proper use. The rest are his.

Another missing project is Migosi Health Centre in Kondele suburb. Was allocated Kshs 800,000,00.Theproject failed to take off and the money remained unaccounted for to date.

The Rotary Club, which is located right in the town was given Kshs 200,000.00 and this money too remained unaccounted for because the project did not take off the ground..

A School by the name St. Mary’s had tow projects budgeted for. One was an E,C.D project for which the sums of Kshs n600,000.00 was set aside and given. Nothing is on the ground to justify that the work is done, and the auditor have reported that this money remained unaccounted or. The second project at the same school was worth Kshs 500,000,00.This money has also gone to waste and could not be accounted for. The two projects are within the North Ward in Kisumu Town West constituency, which is represented by Hon John Olago Aluoch.But the Mp was not immediately available for comment.

The second project at the same St.MARY’S school consumed another allocation of Kshs 500,000,00 Jamhuri Park in Milimani Ward also consumed Kshs 580,000,00 but the amount of work don is sonly 18 per cent, other projects considered as having been abandoned unfinished include Manyatta Market Sheds which consumed Kshs 500,00, but only Kshs 348,200 was properly utilized leaving Kshs.150,000.00 unaccounted for.

.Other project which were classified as abandoned half way include Simba Katuoro Road Kshs 800,000.The auditor had marked those project left unfinished and those with shoddy work and por workmanship as being of class “C” and most of Kisumu Town’s projects fall under this category. All were carried out during Sam Okello’s mayor ship. Most project constructed under the former Mayor Coun. Priska Auma had been classified “A’ and “B” meaning that these projects were almost 90 to 95 per cent work done.

Sam Okello Mayor ship has also been shrouded with numerous allegation of land grabbing and illegal selling of Council’s houses and land plots to private individuals.

Until he was made the Mayor, Sam Okello was a perennial Parliamentary election loser in Muhoroni constituency. which he had unsuccessfully contested three times on a KANU party ticket and only joint.

It is not clear whether Prime Minister Raila Odinga would for the second time come to Mayor Okello’s rescue, but as the situation stands, and the hostility being displayed by the Kisumu residents against the Mayor his chances of clinching the seat for the second time are said to be very remote and slim.

Ends

leooderaomolo@yahoo.com

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Date: Tue, 9 Jun 2009 18:03:29 -0700 [06/09/2009 08:03:29 PM CDT]
From: Leo Odera Omolo
Subject: KISUMU MAYOR OKELLO ON HIS WAYOUT AND COUNCILLOR REBELLED