Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol, a man who has been at the centre of accountability crusade against his own boss, sat down with the Star reporter Luke Awich and Moses Odhiambo in a tell-it all interview.
You were best of buddies towards last election, where did the rain start beating you?
My problem with Governor James Orengo is not personal but ideological.
It is around governance and the kind of structures that we need to put in place to make sure that we provide efficient and effective service to the people of Siaya county. That is the point of divergence.
What is not working?
I want to be fair to Orengo. We didn’t have a pre-election pact. It was a gentleman’s agreement and both of us understood and appreciated each of us’ unique competencies and capabilities.
Orengo, a fine legal mind, has been in the trenches fighting for human rights, Oduol, a good corporate guy with strong managerial skills. Those two strengths brought together would accelerate development in Siaya. We started very well. The first three months we worked very closely together.
I was supporting Orengo in putting in place structures, systems and processes – specifically within finance. This is where the county was haemorrhaging. There was a lot of financial indiscipline when we joined.
We were able to establish this from previous internal audit reports, Auditor General reports and even the Edward Ouko task force that we commissioned also confirmed that there was a lot of mismanagement in finance.
I am an accountant by training. I am a CPA in good standing with ICPAK. My PhD is in Leadership and Governance. I understand governance and finance, and that is the strength that I had hoped to bring to the county.
I used to be close with the governor. But towards January, after my engagement with him, I noticed that he was drifting. I could tell that he was disengaging. In February, the one that broke the camel's back, he did a reshuffle in Finance.
You said there was no pre-election pact, and that it was only a gentleman’s agreement. Can you unpack what you discussed? Did he promise much than he has met?
We had discussions – off the cuff. They were not solid. I wouldn’t say they were that robust. I wouldn’t tie him to anything. There is nothing that we agreed that he was going to do which I can claim he hasn’t done. We didn’t agree on anything but just came together with a good manifesto to transform Siaya.
A section of the leaders from the area led by Opiyo Wandayi has called for your resignation. What do you say?
I want to ask the people of Siaya to give Wandayi the contempt card. He is not a proper arbiter. He contested or attempted to contest for governor early last year before withdrawing in the early stages. He has governor ambitions. I am hypothesising he’ll run in 2027. I have not said I will be contesting for governor as I have many options, including being Orengo’s deputy or someone else’s, or contest for Senator or MP Alego Usonga. I have many options. I know I am considered a competition. I contested in 2013, whether I won or not, opinion is divided..
Given that Siaya is home county of ODM leader Raila Odinga; has there been efforts from him or his people to bring truce?
My party leader, Jakom Raila Oding,a has not reached out to me formally. Senator Oburu Oginga reached out to me. He called me over the weekend and he was very concerned about the protracted battles.
An MCA has sought your impeachment. What do you say of this?
Bring it on…..the irony of all this is that an MCA elected by UDM party is the one that bringing impeachment motion against an ODM deputy governor and all the MCAs that have appended their signatures to this are ODM, more than 26 of them. What kind of poetic justice is this, or is it self preservation?I know many things but one that I am clear on is that I will not oversee theft and plunder of public resources.
What mechanisms have you used to address this beyond the county assembly? Is EACC in the works?
I wanted to be procedural. I wanted to exhaust the internal mechanism before I approach the external agencies. I am part of that government. By the time a deputy governor is talking about the rot in his administration, it must be very serious. I spoke to Orengo for three months, warning him about this. I came out in February. I have exhausted the assembly route. I have four options. I can go to the EACC, DCI, courts or petition the Senate Committee on Devolution and Intergovernmental Relations. We have many options.
This impeachment they talk about is not the end of the world. We still have many options. I am reviewing with my lawyers. We will make a decision in the next two days.
Has your boss ever called you for talks since this thing exploded?
I have not talked to Orengo for now two months. I tried to call him but he never picked my calls. In fact, he even withdrew my privileges. I had a chase car when I joined, that was withdrawn, so was my security. I fuel the county official car. My staff and those close to me don’t get paid allowances, let alone mine. It is ok. Some of the people who fought for liberation never lived to enjoy it. I know what I am doing, and knew when I started it, that I would get a lot of sanctions. I am not going to be cowed as long as my conscience is clear and I am on the side of the people. I will soldier on.
Could the strife between governors and deputies a question of a bad structure?
Mombasa Governor Abdulswamad Nassir is working very well with his deputy. He has given him three departments to run. Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga has also given her deputy a ministerial position. Murang’a’s Irungu Kang'ata is also working well with his deputy. Kirinyaga Governor Anne Waiguru is equally working well with her deputy. You cannot legislate morality. It is a moral question; are you an honest human being or vice versa. Most governors when they arrive there, power gets into their head and they think they own the whole world. The solution to this is to anchor the role of deputy governors in the constitution. The way it is now is very vague and leaves room for a lot of abuse. We need to anchor that in the Constitution so that DG’s have defined roles.
A leader with morals, though, should not struggle to work with their deputy. If you look at President William Ruto, he has defined roles, through an executive order, for his deputy Rigathi Gachagua and Prime CS Musalia Mudavadi, including a budget for their offices. If this were to happen in counties, and governors through executive orders can define roles, provide small budgets and facilitate our operations., unfortunately they behave demigods.
Could it be that you are asking for too much?
No. Why would that be construed as asking for too much. When asking for defined roles, is that too much? Our country is used to averages. I know there are sections in the county asking why don’t I join the gravy train and be part of the loot. I have been blessed immensely more than I could imagine so I just want to give back. I was Africa CEO for multinationals…Microsoft, Westcon…..I only want to impact lives. Even if I am enjoying good life in my home, I want the old lady in the neighbourhood to access omena if she cannot access the chicken. That can only be made possible if we are 100 per cent accountable and that their money is put to good use.
Is there room for truce?
We can redeem it. The buck stops with the governor. If Orengo calls me today for reconciliatory talks, I would run to him. I would run not because I am seeking attention but will tell him where they have been stealing and we close the loopholes. When we are fighting, the persons who suffer are the mama mbogas, and the good people of Siaya county.
What’s hindering the Siaya dream?
The problem in Siaya are the vested interests. It may not be governor Orengo. The problem is the cartels around him, people who believe in primitive acquisition of wealth. That is the biggest problem. You get a new governor, form a ring around them, and elbow out everyone else who means well. I had set up proper accounting system in the finance department. Money used to be released but vouchers used in the requisitions never got paid, this I stopped, we are back to the same old way of doing things. Even staff allowances used to get money from exchequer only to be diverted to other activities.
Your parting shot?
God bless Siaya and God bless us all