Make or Break As George Okode Pushes Through With Impeachment of Siaya Deputy Speaker

There was a sharp division among members of the Siaya County Assembly Powers and Privileges Committee Tuesday morning when a section resolved to go ahead and table a motion to impeach West Ugenya MCA Andericus Oduor Odongo.

Since yesterday matters have escalated at the Siaya County Assembly with a large number of MCAs, for the first time, showing open defiance to revered Speaker George Okode.

It is said Okode has opened a can of worms and there’s a big likelihood he may not have the resources and organizational faculties to pull this one through.

Issues came to a head recently in Kisumu when Deputy Speaker Andericus Odongo called the Speaker some unpalatable adjective.

The matter was presented to the Powers and Privileges Committee which deliberated to determine whether Odongo breached laws governing the character of a state officer, or if the abuse of the Speaker in public amounted to creating a hostile working environment for the Speaker and his junior staff.

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Issues to be investigated were whether the unpalatable word constituted slander, libel and/or defamation of character.

However, as is usual with Siaya politics more issues are at play than meets the eye.

Already forces are aligning against the Deputy Speaker’s impeachment. The forces, now working behind the scenes want to turn the tables and instead have Okode impeached.

Our informant says Okode has opened too many war fronts, especially last year when he flexed his muscles against the Executive by questioning daily allowances paid to an entourage that visited Doha in Qatar. On their return to Kenya, the Speaker is said to have threatened to sponsor a motion of impeachment of the Executive.

A series of night meetings at a Kisumu hotel saw Members of the Siaya County Assembly get a bigger say on the allocation of Ward funds. Okode thought it was a victory but shortly afterwards was shocked when the top echelon of ODM Party leadership paid a visit to Siaya and specifically ignored him.

There’s no difference in the Odongo saga. The East Asembo Ward MCA Gordon Onguuru has been recruited to table a motion to impeach Odongo. Once the process is set rolling evidence will be required that Odongo uttered the unpalatable word in front of other MCAs and then the law will take its course.

But will that amount to a win for Okode?

Not necessarily. Two influential members of the national assembly from Siaya are already arraigned with the Executive against Okode. The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party became a laughing stock when the Kisumu City County Assembly impeached Onyango Oloo; the party will certainly avoid a repeat in Siaya.

If on the other hand Okode manages to pull off this debacle, singlehandedly,  he will no doubt become the second most powerful political figure in Siaya.

Yes, it’s a make or break for George Okode when he pushes ahead with the impeachment process of his Deputy.