Siaya Governor James Orengo has attributed the witnessed stalled progress of major county projects to delayed treasury disbursements, dismissing claims of county mismanagement.
Speaking shortly after delivering the Annual State of the County Address on Tuesday Dec 9, Orengo said Siaya residents have raised concerns about minimal activity on some flagship projects.
In his televised interview, Gov. Orengo explained that the county's development projects cannot move forward until the National Treasury releases exchequer funds.
“We have no control over when the Treasury releases money or when the Controller of Budget approves expenditure,” explained the embattled Governor.
The governor emphasized that all major projects had been fully funded through assembly appropriations and that nothing had been abandoned.
According to Orengo, the national-level financial bottleneck created an impression of inefficiency at the county level, despite the devolved unit having prepared its development schedule months in advance.
The Speaker of the Siaya County Assembly, George Okode, also weighed in on the governor’s statement, saying the county must urgently address several internal administrative matters affecting service delivery.
Speaker Okode highlighted that staff welfare remained a key concern, starting with the need to pay daily subsistence allowances owed to county employees, which the governor had effectively prioritized.
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Okode added that the Governor knew of the prolonged issue of staff serving in acting capacities, noting that the county would regularize these positions and provide employees with stable, formal contracts.
The Speaker commended the Governor for constituting a panel to fast-track the recruitment of new Public Service Board members and fill the vacant CEO position.
He added that Siaya must urgently address staffing gaps, especially within the healthcare system, to prevent service disruptions.
The Speaker’s emphasis on healthcare staffing follows the dismissal of 382 healthcare sector employees in September due to a fraudulent hiring process, where a vetting process revealed that only 120 workers of more than 500 workers were deemed legitimate.
