Writes Leo Odera Omolo

The chairman of the Awendo Town Council Johnson Omolo Owiro has strongly refuted claims that he was the one holding back the planned construction of new indoor market in the town.

He also dismissed as malicious the claim that he was dilly-dallying with the implementation of the project because the market has been earmarked to be construction of the side of Sakwa East Location, which is outside his electoral Ward in Sakwa Central.

He said Awendo town is not subjected to locations politics, but is an entity administrative area of itself and any government project can be built anywhere on any side of the town.

Councilor Owiro in a long phone conversation with this writer admitted that “some alarming leaflets were last week dropped n Awendo Town by unknown people”. He said the same people suspected to have been behind the anonymous leaflets have since applied to the Provincial Administration for permission to stage street demonstration in Awendo Town.

But he explained that the market project is not the Council responsibility, but a Central Government project which is being financed by the Ministry. What role the Council is playing is to identify a suitable land plot and site.

The Council had identified the site of the old market and had asked those owning temporary kiosks and makeshift structures to dismantle them and vacate the site to pave the way for the construction work on the new market to go on as planned. The trader had complied with the Council order and duly vacated the site.

. It was at this juncture when someone from nowhere emerged and laid the claims on this site. arguing that the land belonged to him The man moved to court and filled a legal suit in an attempt to stop the work and temporarily restrained the Council from carrying on with the project. And this is what has been holding back to construction work at the new market.

The ownership of the land which has been the market place for many years is right in dispute involving a court case. And because of the court case, the Council cannot implement the project on the plot which is in dispute. Once the court is determined and disposed, the project would go on as planned.

Councilor.Owiro was reacting to an article which appeared in one of the weekly newspapers under the headline “Alarming Leaflets Hit Awendo Town “alleging among that he was reluctance to allow affect the construction of the modern market on a land earmarked for it, which is free of any dispute or a court case.

Impeccable sources have revealed that Awendo, the small, but fast growing farming town within Migori County is faced with endless scandals after one another

The latest scandal is about its two ODM nominated civic leaders who are reported to have influenced the employment of their relatives.

One of the nominated civic leaders Coun Odera Awene from Central Sakwa Location who is also the ODM sub-branch chairman is said to have brought back his two married daughters and have them employed in the Council a market gate collectors.

The other nominated civic leaders is Councilor Mr Berty Onyango, from Sakwa East Location who is reported to have influenced the employment of her husband who is now working as driver and now driving the Council’s tipper. She has also employed her own sister to the Council service.