This archive report was first published on 19 July 2019.
On July 17, 2019, a motion presented to the Homa Bay County Assembly by Majority Leader Walter Muok led to the ouster of Majority Chief Whip Richard Ogindo. The move was seen as a major shake-up in the county assembly.
According to Muok, Ogindo had mobilized ward representatives not to attend assembly proceedings on Tuesday afternoon to pass the County Appropriation Bill. This led to a heated exchange between the two leaders.
However, the assembly managed to raise the required numbers to pass the bill, despite Ogindo's efforts to block it. Ogindo has since dismissed his ouster as unconstitutional, claiming that his removal can only be sanctioned by his party, the Orange Democratic Movement.
“I am the Chief Whip and anybody saying he has removed me from this office is wrong. The allegations they are levelling against me are false,” Ogindo said in a statement.
Ogindo's ouster is the latest in a series of controversies that have rocked the Homa Bay County Assembly. He was previously ousted as Majority Leader in August last year, a move that sparked a lot of controversy.
