•The race has also attracted the outgoing speaker George Okode who is seeking the position for a third term.
•Okode is believed to have an upper hand in the contest and will be banking on his record for the ten years as the speaker.
Image: DICKENS WASONGA
12 individuals have declared interest in speaker's position in the Siaya County assembly.
The elections will be conducted on Tuesday after swearing in of the MCAs who were elected on August 9 polls.
The race has also attracted the immediate former speaker George Okode who is seeking the position for a third term.
The contest is his to lose as it emerged that most of his challengers are facing difficulties getting proposers.
The details of the election was made public by the acting assembly clerk Erick Ogenga on Friday.
" Following the notification of the first sitting of the county Assembly of Siaya, and the declaration of vacancy in the office of the Speaker by the Ag. Clerk of the County Assembly, Mr Erick Ogenga, the following 12 individuals expressed their interest in the position and picked their nomination papers between Wednesday, 14th September, 2022 and Friday, 16th September, 2022," the dispatch seen by the Star read in part.
Those in the race include Mbeya George, Oruenjo Evans Umidha, Agoko Joseph Omondi, Awandu Daniel Ochieng ,Handa Odhiambo Fredrick, Okumu Maurice Juma, Okode George, Otieno Caleb Ouma, Omondi Andrew Horace, Akello Pamela Awino, Munje Isaiah Ndisi and Athuok Fred Kondo.
Mbeya was amongst the aspirants who sought the ODM ticket in April primaries to succeed governor Cornel Rasanga.
He however failed to run after the party picked James Orengo as its candidates through direct nomination.
Orengo went on to win the seat and is now the Siaya governor.
Okode is believed to have an upper hand in the contest and will be banking on his record for the ten years as the speaker.
He was elected speaker in 2013.
He oversaw a United team that kept Rasanga's government on check.
He will be hoping to get the backing of both the new elected members and those who successfully made a comeback.
Siaya has 30 Wards. However, ward elections in South Gem Ward was postponed due to the death of one of the candidates ( Nick Wanga of ODM) a few weeks to the polls.
That means the assembly now has 29 elected MCAs.
There were also 12 nomination slots. However, IEBC failed to Gazette one nominee. So the house has 11 nominated members at the moment.
Out of the 29 elected MCAs , ODM has 26 while Federal Party of Kenya (FPK) has 1. The UDM also has 1 and another was elected as independent.
These 40 members of the County Assembly will convene for the first Sitting of the third Assembly on Tuesday at 9:00 a.m. and are expected to elect their Speaker after taking the oath of office.