The ugly political fallout between Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and her deputy Oyugi Magwanga has left the county assembly on the horns of a dilemma on whether to impeach the deputy or not.
Crossing the Rubicon during the recently concluded Kasipul by-elections by openly backing independent candidate Philip Aroko against his boss’ preferred candidate, Mr Magwanga, appeared to have openly challenged Governor Wanga to a political duel.
In a swift rejoinder, the former Kasipul MP termed the move a calculated political power play aimed at directly undermining his office, with the two Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) members currently not seeing eye-to-eye.
But the turf wars between the two leaders have spilt over to the county assembly with calls growing for Mr Magwanga to quit or face political wrath.
However, not all the members of the county assembly are sold on the idea of forcing the deputy governor from office saying there is no tangible reason why he should be expelled.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and her deputy Oyugi Magwanga.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
Among individuals leading calls for the former Kasipul MP to exit office is County Assembly Majority Leader Richard Ogindo.
A close confidant of Governor Wanga, his statements carry political weight as he has the ear of the governor.
In multiple public forums, including during campaigns for the Kasipul parliamentary by-election, Mr Ogindo led other MCAs in calling on the deputy governor to leave office. This was after Mr Magwanga campaigned for Mr Aroko instead of ODM’s Boyd Were.
“Anyone who cannot work with the governor should leave office. You cannot abuse an office that feeds you,” Mr Ogindo said.
Joseph Oyugi Magwanga.
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
According to the majority leader, the deputy governor also allegedly leaks county government secrets. He accused Mr Magwanga of leading a team that shares information discussed during cabinet meetings.
“He does not toe the line. He wants to run a parallel office. We will not let him do so,” he said.
Other MCAs calling for the exit of the deputy governor include nominated MCAs Florence Ouma and Caroline Odundo.
During a meeting held at Kenya Medical Training College in Ndhiwa town on Monday, the MCAs defended the governor from political attacks.
They said they are ready to deal with whoever tries to derail some of the things that Ms Wanga is doing to develop Homa Bay.
Kanyamwa Kosewe MCA Nicholas Owaka, who was also at the meeting, said he will obey what Ms Wanga tells him to do.
“We are behind the governor, and we will implement what she tells us,” he said.
However, a senior MCA in the House told Nation that they do not have plans of expelling Mr Magwanga from office, at least for now.
The ward representative, who sought anonymity, said impeachment must be backed by law.
He said he is neither aware of any plans to expel Mr Magwanga nor has he heard of the deputy governor being accused of engaging in any criminal act.
Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga and her deputy Oyugi Magwanga at a past event in Kabunde Airship in Homa Bay town
Photo credit: George Odiwuor | Nation Media Group
“The only mistake he made was to campaign for an independent candidate in Kasipul when his party, ODM, wanted all its members to campaign for its candidate. The county assembly had no obligation to punish him because it was his political choice and only the party can take action against him,” the MCA said.
The county legislator added that what is discussed by other MCAs in public meetings should not be used as a basis to push for impeachment.
“The county assembly does not deal with rumours. Some statements are made in public meetings but do not hold ground,” the MCA said.
The MCAs know the deputy governor is no political pushover, and attempts at removing him from office will set the stage for a bruising political battle ahead of the 2027 elections.
Political pundits opine that impeaching Mr Magwanga could create more political enemies for Governor Wanga, a move that could dim her 2027 re-election prospects.
Political commentator Herman Manyora said engaging the former Kasipul MP in an open duel could expose Ms Wanga to a political war that would take time to end and with serious ramifications.
No political pushover, it is not lost on the public that it took the intervention of the late Prime Minister Raila Odinga to have Mr Magwanga shelve his gubernatorial ambitions to support the election of Ms Wanga.
A man known for his impeccable grassroots mobilisation skills and coming from the larger Rachuonyo clan, the ramifications could be dire.
“There are already rumours that she is not on good terms with Interior Principal Secretary Raymond Omollo. Impeaching Magwanga will add to the list of enemies she has, and this is not good for politics,” Mr Manyora said.
Mr Magwanga said he is aware that some people want him to leave office but he has vowed to fight back, daring his opponents to bring an impeachment motion and threatening to initiate one against Wanga if it fails.
“Let them bring an impeachment motion against me. If it fails, I will initiate mine. She knows me and I know her,” he said.
Removing Mr Magwanga from office will require two-thirds of Homa County MCAs to approve the ouster motion.
Homa Bay County Assembly has 40 elected and 18 nominated MCAs, meaning that at least 39 MCAs must support the motion.
Some of the grounds for impeaching a deputy governor involve serious misconduct or breaches of law, including gross violation of the Constitution or law, abuse of office, gross misconduct, committing crimes (national/international) and physical or mental incapacity to perform duties.
A deputy governor may also be removed from office if he or she is found to have misused public funds or resources.
If impeached, the resolution from the county assembly is then submitted to the Senate, which further discusses the motion and can either uphold or reject it.
Should he survive in the Senate, then the DG will be riding a political wave that could lionise him and turn him into Ms Wanga’s nightmare come 2027.
In June 2023, Siaya MCAs passed a motion to impeach deputy governor William Oduol over allegations of gross misconduct and violation of the Constitution. But he was saved by the Senate. Since then, the confrontation between the two has only escalated.
