‘Siaya treasury is rotten,’ Orengo says on reports Ksh.400M was withdrawn days to elections

It is said that top staff in former governor Cornel Rasanga’s administration withdrew cash amounting to around Ksh.400 million within less than two weeks to the polls. 

The Daily Nation on Wednesday reported that some staff paid themselves huge sums while ignoring a moratorium stopping payments of allowances and pending bills.

“The cash was transferred between July 1 and July 13… A closer look at the documents also revealed that the Siaya County executive paid a total of Sh11,254,800 to four individuals – Mr Silvester Douglas Ogolla, Mr Kevin Ochieng Masawa, Mr Anthony Odiwuor Omollo and Mr Muga Erick Omollo – believed to be clerks of various committees in the assembly,” the Nation quoted in the exposé. 

All these payments are said to have been made on July 4, whereby three clerks reportedly received up to five payments in one day, ranging between Ksh.650,000 and Ksh.716,000.

Governor Orengo in a press statement on Wednesday afternoon said he was aware of the suspicious activity captured in the report and that the information followed a forensic audit of Siaya’s records his new administration had commissioned.

“This is not news. It justifies the step we have taken to carry out a thorough and comprehensive forensic audit led by a team of experts. This is the only way towards eradicating endemic and systemic corruption in Siaya,” he said.

“Indeed, without mincing words, the treasury in Siaya is rotten,” added the county boss, who also pointed out that the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) is also probing cases of misappropriation within the county government. 

In addition, Orengo announced that the county has stopped payment of pending bills until verification and confirmation is done, “save in cases of essential services and emergencies.”

“No procurements are being undertaken nor new contracts awarded until we are done with the application of prompt and effective interventions. The County Treasury is directed not to pay or engage in any financial transactions without my direct authority until advised otherwise,” Orengo stated. 

“I want to assure the people of Siaya that nothing will be spared and nobody will be spared within the context of a comprehensive and decisive strategy and solution to this problem,” he added.

Just last week, Orengo appointed a seven-member taskforce to carry out a forensic audit of the financial operations of the county government’s previous administration.

The mandate of that taskforce, chaired by former Auditor General Edward Ouko, includes an evaluation, assessment and determination of the county’s human resource establishment and revenue administration with emphasis on the financial years 2020/2021 and 2021/2022.

​​After the 60-day audit process, the team shall be required to assess and give recommendations on the necessary reforms within the county’s governance structures and systems for purposes of enhancement of service delivery.

EACC has meanwhile put Siaya County under scrutiny over alleged misappropriation of Ksh.600 million by officials in the previous administration.