Battle for Speaker’s seat taken a notch higher as seven show interest in Kisumu.

 The previous Kisumu County Assembly in a session.Seven people have so far declare their interest to view as Speaker of the County Assembly among them Ann Adul who has been the Speaker-File Photo.

By Dickson Odhiambo.

August 31, 2017.

Battle for Speaker’s seat taken a notch higher as seven show interest in Kisumu. 

THE Battle for the Seat of the Speaker at the Kisumu County Assembly has been taken a notch higher as seven people declare their interest to contest the seat.

With only a few days for the Kisumu County Assembly to convene, a number of candidates for the position of the Speaker for the second Assembly of Kisumu County have shown interest to contest one of the most coveted seats within the County Government Structure.

The County Assembly of Kisumu is set to convene its first sitting next week and all the 35 elected Ward Representatives and the nominated Members of the County Assembly will be sworn in on the same day, then their first business of the House will be to elect a new Speaker who will now chair the sittings.

The County Assembly of Kisumu has been waiting for the names of the nominated Members of the County Assembling of Kisumu to be gazetted so as to advertise the position of the Speaker and the law requires that this is done within 48 hours before the new Assembly convenes.

One of the requirements for one to be a Speaker is for one to be a university graduate and the Constitution and the County Government Act requires that there must be a gender balance in the county Government.

One must also be ready to meet the requirements of Chapter six of the Constitution on Leadership and Integrity.

A number of candidates interested for the Speaker’s seat are said to have started meeting with the newly-elected Members of the County Assembly while trying to woo them so that they can vote for them as their next Speaker.

Already a number of such candidates have been interviewed by the Media and have said why they are out to contest the seat.

The seven are Advocates Geoffrey Yogo, Ken Amondi, Jared Sala, Ann Adul who is the current Speaker, Onyango Oloo.

Others are Peter Charles Omollo who contested the seat of Governor and Ben Nyakinya.

Advocate Geoffrey Yogo is one of the contestants for the Speaker’s seat and says he has what it takes to be the next Speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu.

He says due to his vast experience as a practicing advocate for nearly 20 years, this will propel him to be able to steer the legislation process as well as conducting the proceedings of the Assembly with ease.

He says he will ensure that members of the County Assembly conduct their various roles that including oversight on the executive wing of the County Government, legislation and representation properly.

 He says conflict of interest should not be there between the MCAs and Executive as this would compromise their work as witnessed in the previous Assembly where some members had greater conflict of interests which made them to be comprised by the executive wing of the previous county Government.

He promises to work harmoniously with the Executive wing of the County Government to ensure that Kisumu County is a focal point of devolution.

He says he will ensure that the Assembly adheres to the constitution, County Government Act and other provisions of the law in regard to devolution.

Advocate Ken Amondi who contested the seat in 2013 and lost it narrowly to Ann Adul says if elected the Speaker he will ensure necessary legislation are passed to drive the agenda in its manifesto of the current County Government.

“The core of my agenda will ensure the passage of necessary legislations that will enact among them the Kisumu Development Authority that would act as the engine that would drive the legacy projects that are captured in the manifesto that brings the current County Government into the office,” he says.

Amondi says he will ensure that the County Assembly put the current County Government is put on toes to form the Kisumu City Management Board which the previous regime under former Governor Jack Ranguma did not put in place at all.

“If elected the next speaker of the County Assembly of Kisumu, I will ensure that we push the Executive so as to establish the Kisumu City Management Board which we strongly believe that Board will be very instrumental in the implementation of the Kisumu Urban Project which will see Kisumu City rise to the next level as a model for development,” Amondi adds.

He says with the enactment of legislation for the formation of the Kisumu City Management Board by the County Assembly, this will ensure the Kisumu Urban Project is fully completed.

He says he will also ensure the County Assembly of Kisumu also pass legislation that will establish the Village Councils in place as this is the epicenter of devolution.

For Ann Adul, she rides on her achievements since her election as the First Speaker of Kisumu County Assembly and seeks to be re-elected on these achievements. 

Adul says her record during her tenure as the speaker speaks for itself hence this makes her to seek a re-election.

Adul lists 12 achievements during her tenure as the speaker during the first Assembly of Kisumu County.

She says during her tenure as the Speaker in 2014, Kisumu County Assembly was ranked third after Nairobi and Nakuru for having passed 15 pieces of Legislation.

Adul says she managed to successfully spearhead the first model legislation for people with disability private members motion that has now been adopted by all the other Counties Assemblies countrywide, adding that this motion was presented to the County Assembly by nominated MCA Caroline Agwanda who represented the interests of persons with disabilities.

Adul says she has been part of the team of County Assembly Speakers across the country that successfully negotiated members’ remuneration package including car loan and mortgage scheme with Salaries and Remuneration Commission. 

“I am also part of the legal team that successfully filed suit and obtained judgment in favor of members for compensation of office which ought to have ended in March 2018,” she says.

However, Adul says for the sake of gender balancing in the current county government of Kisumu, a female should be elected as the next Speaker of County Assembly of Kisumu.

She argues that the current Executive wing of the County Government of Kisumu is dominated by one gender where a male Governor is deputized by a fellow male hence to balance this; a female should be elected as Speaker to head the Legislative wing of the County Government which is the County Assembly.

“To meet the Constitutional threshold of gender balance, the only slot that is left for women is the Speaker’s post,” she says.

The Public in Kisumu County say this will be tight race among the would-be contestants for the Speaker’s seat.

ENDS: