Kisii former governor James Ongwae has denied allegations of corruption, public finance mismanagement and employing ghost workers during his reign as the County chief.
Responding to claims filed at the Parliamentary Service Commission (PSC) that he had engaged in unethical misconduct when he was the governor, Mr Ongwae blamed his political detractors for manufacturing allegations of financial misappropriation and corruption to undermine him.
Mr Ongwae claimed that the accusations that he failed to control the county’s wage bill in line with the devolution government regulations were manufactured to taint his image.
The former county chief was among seven people interviewed on Friday for the position of a male member of the PSC.
Others were former Machakos Senator Johnston Muthama, former MPs Peter Mungai Mwathi, David Were and Cornelly Serem, and former Kwale County Assembly Speaker Sammy Nyamawi Ruwa.
Days before the vetting session, two petitions—one from Kisii and another from Nyamira—were filed, with the petitioners questioning Mr Ongwae’s suitability to hold public office, accusing him of leading a graft-riddled regime when he was governor.
Mr Ongwae said he served diligently for the 10 years as Kisii governor, denying claims of impropriety.
The PSC had invited members of the public to submit in writing memoranda on oath and any information of interest concerning the suitability of the shortlisted applicants.
The first petition was filed by Mr Isaac Nyakeriga, a former Kisii county employee who went unpaid for months by Ongwae's administration despite being in the devolved unit's payroll.
The second petition was filed by Mr Thomson Osoro, a human rights activist in Kisii, who argued that Ongwae left the county in huge financial and structural problems.
“During his tenure as the Kisii County Governor, Mr Ongwae engaged in misappropriation of Public funds and abuse of office as well as misuse of power,” reads the petition which further argues that Mr Ongwae failed in leadership.
Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, who is also the chairperson of the PSC informed, Mr Ongwae that the first petition accused him of employing ghost workers and snubbing Senate when he was asked to appear before it.
Mr Ongwae explained that his leadership record is clean and he performed to the best of his abilities as the Kisii governor.
The former governor claimed that there was no evidence to associate him with corruption, stating that he has never appeared before any investigative agencies and has no negative reports from the Auditor General.
However, the current Kisii County Governor, Mr Simba Arati, recently revealed that an audit discovered many ghost workers who have been receiving salaries for the past 10 years.
There is also a huge wage bill of over 70 percent, which surpasses the national government ceiling of 35 percent.
Allegations of hundreds of millions in questionable tendering has been exposed with Mr Arati, questioning one claim of Sh150 million, which records show might have been paid to a ghost contractor.
In another questionable contract, the new leadership discovered millions of shillings suspected to have been pilfered by public officials.
Mr Ongwae, who was a top ODM official, was among the first allies of Raila Odinga to abandon the Azimio La Umoja-One Kenya coalition leader after the presidential elections were announced. Mr Odinga lost the August 2022 polls.
Mr Ongwae said he will work with President William Ruto and has since been strategising to join his government.
