Angry youth hold hostage Siaya MCAs inside County Assembly

dennis kibet

October 4, 2017 9:12 AM

The sergeant-at-arms was forced to shoot in the air after....

Panic engulfed the Siaya County Assembly as angry youth held hostage the Members of the County Assembly.

The irritated youth held captive the MCAs for over half an hour on Tuesday blaming them for rejecting nine candidates nominated for the county executive posts.

As soon as the County Assembly adjourned at 8pm, they stormed in and prevented the MCAs from leaving for having rejected Governor Cornel Rasanga’s nominees to the cabinet.

Earlier, the debate on the nominees was delayed as youths chanted "We are watching you" outside the assembly.

According to The Star, the ensuing stand-off forced the sergeant-at-arms to shoot in the air to disperse the youths who hurled stones at the Assembly premises and broke windows.

On their part, the MCAs defended their decision to reject the nominees saying they failed to fit their various job descriptions.

Usonga MCA Sylvester Madialo said the committee rejected the nominees for failing to fit the portfolio they were picked for.

"This means that the governor is at liberty to realign his nominees as per their qualifications," he said.

Out of Rasanga’s nominees, the MCAs only approved Mary Omondi as Education CEC.

Among the nominees Rasanga had chosen was Jaoko Oburu, the son to former nominated MP Oburu Odinga.

Oburu had been earmarked to head the Tourism docket in the new look county cabinet.

Rasanga who sacked the previous Cabinet said he had delayed in appointing the new executive committee because he had wanted to pick qualified people who will deliver services to the public.

The other nominees included Joseph Ogutu as Finance Executive and George Rubik, who lost his bid for speaker as water representative.

The others were Nicholas Kut (Agriculture), Elizabeth Odhiambo (Enterprise and Energy), Adrian Ouma (Physical Planning) and Dorothy Owino (Health).

Rasanga also picked George Amenya (Roads) and Dalmas Wahkla (Public Service).

dennis kibet