Meet Siaya’s Most Shrewd Politician; Speaker George Owino Okode

In September 2022 a resident of Siaya by the name Samuel Nundu filed a complaint with the Assembly Clerk stopping Mr. George Owino Okode’s name being enlisted as a contestant in the race for Speaker of County Assembly, a third time.

Already there were 4 people who had submitted their names to contest for the position. Samuel Nundu argued that: “It is imperative to note that the position of the Speaker of the County Assembly is not one of the offices saved under Section 43(6) of the Elections Act.

“Mr Okode does not qualify for the election of a member of the county assembly for want of resignation. He does not, therefore, qualify for election as speaker.”

George Okode did not even bother to respond to the legality which he had obviously breached. He went ahead and submitted his name and the other four conveniently lost interest in contesting save for Evans Orengo whom he trounced resoundingly.

That is a composite picture of who George Okode has grown to be in Siaya politics. With the subtle finesse of an Opera dancing instructor he plays to the public gallery as a soft-spoken person endowed with solomonic wisdom while underneath the veneer he ruthlessly bulldozes his way through bureaucratic officialdom.

Recently there was talk of his falling out with the Orengo administration on what he called a looting spree during private conversation. Political pundits, however, read ambition and the reality that Okode is outgrowing his political shoes and may now properly want to contest as Governor in 2027.

Okode’s influence over the Assembly procurement deals surfaced in March 2019 when Felix Olwero was suspended as County Clerk after it emerged he irregularly allocated himself a KES 2 million car loan in 2015. The Speaker quickly moved to see Olwero replaced by Eric Ogenga even before a court determined the former’s case.

Mr. Okode has a tight grip on his consorts the Members of County Assembly who are kept on a leash by weekly handouts and incessant seminars as well as appointments to committees. Okode also controls the sizable County Assembly budgetary allocation which comes with influence over tendering and procurement.

The worst part of it is that on Tuesday September 3, 2013 a bug bit Okode when he was elevated to act as Siaya Governor. At a press briefing Okode said: “Accountability and transparency can only be realised if the public is appraised on budgetary matters. I will use the media and especially local FM stations to ensure residents are informed on how we spend development funds.”

George Owino Okode has kept his word [at least about using the media to portray himself as Mr. Clean] as for accountability and transparency that’s a matter best left to conjecture. He frequently calls for press briefings and no journalist who attends has ever complained.

Nonetheless, a little bird whispers that Okode was used by Governor Orengo to haunt Dr. William Oduol out of office with promises for a shot at the Deputy Governor slot come the next election. When the deal came a cropper Okode who has his own ideas about running Siaya County then decided to go for Orengo.

To show just how influential Okode is in Siaya politics, Baba had to fly in to restrain him from pulverising the Executive. Otherwise todate nobody knows where we would have reached with threats to impeach Governor Orengo using an assembly under the control of Speaker George Owino Okode.

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