This archive report was first published on 9 September 2019.
Published on September 9, 2019, allegations of corruption have surfaced in the construction of Siaya County Assembly Speaker's residence, with a Sh165 million tender at the center of the controversy.
Three petitioners, John Ouma, James Wanga, and Irene Atieno, have written to various agencies, including the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission, Directorate of Criminal investigations, Director of Public Prosecutions, and Public Complaints Commission, to investigate Assembly officials in charge of the process.
The petitioners claim that the tender was awarded at an exaggerated cost of Sh165 million, contrary to the recommended cost of Sh35 million by the Salaries and Remuneration Commission (SRC), Commission of Revenue Authority (CRA), Ministry of Transport and Infrastructure, Housing and Urban planning, and The Senate.
They have accused the acting assembly clerk Erick Ogenga, the assembly tendering committee, and the County Assembly Public Service Board for the alleged illegality.
According to the petition, the Senate standing committee on Finance released a report in November 2018, recommending that the category of the county assembly Speaker's residence be capped at Sh35 million.
However, the county assembly allegedly proceeded with the procurement process, awarding the tender at an inflated cost of Sh165 million.
Siaya County Speaker George Okode has dismissed the claims, terming them malicious, baseless, and inaccurate.
Okode stated that the tendering and contract awarding were done in the 2015/16 Financial Year, and that the ceiling by SRC was introduced in 2018, long after the tendering and contract.
The assembly is currently in talks with the SRC to find an amicable solution to the stalemate.
