FIGHT FOR LUCRATIVE DEALS AT KUP COULD BE AT THE CENTRE OF OMBARA'S WOES.

KISUMU COUNTY continues to hit media headlines for all the wrong reasons with barely 18 months to the next general elections. Cartels around powerful individuals in the governor’s office are keen to create many loopholes within the county system that will earn them more money as we head to the polls.

Focus has now shifted to the lucrative Kisumu Urban Project (KUP) with an intention to control the 4 billion shillings at stake. Sources within KUP told this blog that could be the main reason why the city manager Doris Ombara was transferred to a nonexistent department. 

Back and forth accusations have since emerged following the ‘sacking’ of Ombara on the 24^th of March with the executive maintaining that the latter was not sacked but rather promoted to the department of Lake Front Development and Urban Renewal.

The chairman of Kisumu City Residents Voice Association Audi Ogada has however criticized the MCAs who took to the streets to protest Ombara's removal from office saying their action clearly depicts a picture that they have been compromised and in an event that she is reinstated they cannot oversight her.

“I will say this with no uncertain terms that all these wrangles we are witnessing are just about tenders within KUP with those in leadership trying to front their cronies to source for them campaign money” said Ogada.

“Section 74 of the County Government Act clearly stipulates that the County Public Service Board has the overall mandate to hire, promote, redeploy and fire. Ranguma as the governor is subject to the rule of law and he cannot act without following the due process” confirmed Ogada.

Audi revealed that Doris Ombara was duly appointment by the County Public Service Board on the 17^th of Aug 2015 and the same was ratified by the County Secretary Humphrey Nakitari on the 28^th of August  2015 confirming her as the City Manager thus the same due process must be followed to remove her from office.

Her transfer, redeployment or firing can only be executed through the same process but an individual cannot just wake up to a decision that has not been either discussed by the County Public Service Board or the County Assembly.

Kaloleni/Shauri Moyo MCA Prisca Misachi said Ombara is being sacrificed because of the Sh. 4 billion for the Kisumu Urban Project.

“The Lake Front project collapsed long time ago. Swedish International Development Agency (SIDA) that was to fund the project had pulled out. Why now second Ombara to a department that had died and been buried,” she asked.

The Kisumu Urban Project was initiated on 3 key components of Market Rehabilitation, Bus Park upgrading and street lightning. The projects were designed to be completed within a stipulated timeframe that is due by September 2016 and with all these persistent wangles the project sponsors might as well to pull out.

Kisumu residents are starring at a bleak future as the implications of Ombara’s sacking are likely to be much deeper if she decides to close the accounts of the KUP being the main signatory, or if she decides to seek legal redress to compel the executive to rescind its decision.

“As resident of Kisumu, we have given both the County Assembly and the executive 48hours to put their house in order or else we will petition them in court to compel them to a compromise ground” asserted Ogada.

Audi Ogada insisted that the County Assembly must now focus on the formation of a city board so that we don’t run into such problems in the near future, even as nominated MCA Lydia Odhiambo clarified that the Assembly had already passed a bill to that effect and it’s the governor who has adamantly refused to ascend to it.

A source close to at the governor’s office intimated to me that the standoff is likely to go on for quite some time because they have advised him to hold firm on his decision and that rescinding the same and reinstating Ombara will expose him as not a steadfast leader.

ENDS.