Siaya governor James Orengo is a renown lawyer, let him sue me if I am spreading falsehoods regarding theft and mismanagement of public funds in his administration, Siaya deputy governor William Oduol now says.

Oduol was speaking on Saturday during an interview on the 'Kom Telo' segment of the Kisumu-based Nam Lolwe FM. 

"Orengo is a renown lawyer. I have made a lot of clams. Let him take me to court if I am lying," Oduol dared his boss. 

A rift has been widening between Orengo and Oduol since February 2023 after the latter questioned alleged suspicious withdrawal of millions of public funds by county Treasury staff.

Since assuming office in August 2023, Oduol claims that Siaya county has lost over Ksh200 million to corruption through the imprest account and faulty payroll. 

According to the public Finance Management guidelines, the imprest account is for petty cash and should be used to withdraw not more than Ksh200,000.

But Oduol said that on November 28, 2022, for example, a single individual withdrew up to Ksh21 million three times. 

The withdrawals, he said happened at Equity bank.

"You see here, this is a single individual... He withdrew Ksh8 million, then Ksh7 million and then Ksh6 million. A total of Ksh21 million," Oduol said as he took the radio host through a file.

On another date, Oduol told the show host that a single individual withdrew Ksh800,000 then Ksh205,000, then Ksh800,000 and then Ksh800,000 again. 

Another time, an individual, whom he said is a junior staff, withdrew Ksh400,000, Ksh800,000 (thrice) and then Ksh728,000.

Oduol laid the blame on the Chief Officer in charge of finance, the director of fiance and the head of treasury. 

The trio, are the signatories to the county bank account.

Oduol explained that the chief officer is the mandatory signatory and the director only assumes the mandatory signatory status in the absence of the former.

He wants the County Assembly to counter check who exactly between the chief officer and the director of finance okayed the withdrawals.

Oduol further alleged that during their swearing in ceremony on August 25, 2023, the Assumption of Office Committee withdrew Ksh22 million but only Ksh4 million was spent.

The rest must have been swindled, he asserted. 

According to the embattled deputy governor, the Siaya county treasury have a tendency of targeting donor fundings and transferring them through the imprest account. 

"I am not a mad man to speak about things that I don't know. I am a Certified Public Accountant," Oduol said.

Of the claim by his opponents that he is alleging corruption after he was denied tenders, Oduol challenged anyone to come forth and present evidence.

"Some people said that I met a contractor at Cooperative Bank Kisumu and received some bribe. I tell you, I am fighting the big fish and if there was any evidence to that effect then my opponents would have brought it running," he said.

Impunity fights back, he said, noting that the plunderers in a mudslinging mission on anyone who is against corruption. 

Oduol dismissed claims by some people that the exchequer has not released money to Siaya.

He said that Siaya county has received money from the National Treasury up to February 2023.

"There has been money to be stolen. The two months difference is because Siaya had not received money for July and August 2022. The latest that Siaya received was Ksh592 million," he said. 

Oduol maintained that he won't resign as the deputy governor for speaking "the truth".

"I'll fight these people until 2027 because If I resign then they will steal unabated," Oduol vowed.

The County Assembly of Siaya has set a side Monday May 22, 2023 as the date for discussion the issue of corruption as alleged by Oduol.

Oduol vowed to forward the files to the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), the Directorate of Criminal Investigations (DCI) and the Senate's Committee on Devolution should the County Assembly fail to convince him.