Kisumu County rocked with violence during MCAs swearing in

September 20, 2022 85

PHOTO:COURTESY

An interruption was experienced during the swearing in of the 47 Members of County Assembly (MCAs) at the Kisumu County Assembly where chaos broke out when the Clerk Owen Ojuok announced that he had a communication from the Court barring 4 nominated MCAs from swearing in.

Amid chaos, Ojuok read that the MCAs, Kennedy Ajwang, Lawino Opar, John Obaso and Regina Kizito had been barred through a court order, however, the MCAs did not allow him to state by they have been barred.

The MCAs led by South West MCA Gard Olima and Kano Wawidhi ward Moses Ochele opposed the court order.

“Mr Clerk, there is no way you can introduce a communication in the middle of swearing in,” said Ochele.

Owen later heeded to the pressure from the MCAs and went further to swear in the four contested nomination MCAs.

It is understood that the four MCAs were targeted because they failed to honour a dinner meeting convened on Monday evening and attended by ODM party leader Raila Odinga.

The four are believed to have been in Nakuru in a camp supporting the candidature of Samuel Ongou for the position of the Speaker. Whereas ODM party had made its position known, to support the former Speaker Elisha Oraro, a number of MCAs had defied and were supporting Ongou, who was a Majority Leader in the first Assembly.

As a result, security was beefed up with local police spotted wearing riot gear.