Reports Leo Odera Omolo

The future successes of the County’s will not be the empty talking shops for mediocre politicians , but serious administrative business which will demand highly qualified in financial and administrative management.

In this respective politicians should not rush into contesting the County top jobs, but should instead aspire to be elected to legislative bodies like parliament and county representatives.

These remarks were made by one of the most high profile aspirants for the lucrative positions of Homa-Bay County governor.

The aspirant is George Opiata Ogada who is equipped with what it takes to be the vast wealth of experience in accountancy, financial management and administrative ability.

Ogada 53 is native of Rusinga Island was born in a high profile family. His father Didacus Ogada Migwalla served in public as a primary school teacher and rose through the ladder to become the district magistrate with the judicial department for many years.

Ogada took his earlier education at Wachara and God Bura Primary Schools in Ndhiwa and Gwassi before proceeding to Bunyala High School in Western Province.

On completion of his secondary school education Ogada joined the Kenya Polytechnic and trained as an accountant qualifying with CPA certificate.

He joined the Kenya power and lighting as an accountant, but later took a study leave and went Lucknow University in India and graduated with B.Com degree. He later graduated with MBA. He did his post graduate diploma in Finance and Banking and two other diplomas in procurement and IT.

Upon his return to Kenya, Ogada rejoined the Kenya Power and Lighting Company Limited as an Accountant and within a short while he become the head of procurement department for both local and external purchasing. He was later promoted and made the accountant in charge of the entire KPLC system and property n the Rift Valley.

In 1997 he contest Nakuru Township parliamentary seat coming second to the winner. And in 2007 he contested Mbita parliamentary seat, but pulled out of the race owing to certain technicalities

Ogada venture into private business and established his own consultancy auditing and accounting firm in Nairobi. He established Adambe Forwarding and Clearing firm in Mombasa.

In a long phone conversation with writer from Mombasa this week, Ogada said the challenges facing the new Homa-Bay County are so great. It will therefore require highly qualified men and woman to turn it around and make it a vibrant regional government which is capable to generate and managed its own revenue.

The region could be one of the richest inside Luo-Nyanza if its mineral resources, fishing industry, tourism and pre-historic sites are developed. The region is blessed with the Ruma National Game Park which has the stock of varieties of wild animals for the tourists to come and see. It has abundance place for bird watching.

Homa-Bay County, he said has a lot of untapped minerals resources such as cooper, nickel, gold, cement, lime and even uranium. The area is too big because after the next general election it will have nine parliamentary electoral areas as opposed to the current seven seats. This will come as the result of the two additional seats, one in Homa-Bay town and another other one in Kabondo, which is to be hived out of Kasipul-Kabondo constituency. The region will require good planners in order to be able o generate its own revenue besides the grants from the Central government.

In length Homa-bay County start at Sondu on the triangle border between Kasipul -Kabondo, Belgut and Nyakach and winds up in Mfangano Island which is close o 100 kilometers away.

Ends