William Oduol ‘Denge’: A Man with an Unconventional Approach
Thanks to one man, Mr. William Oduol, also known as Denge, Siaya County has garnered the attention of nearly the entire nation over the past few months.
The deputy governor of Siaya has raised concerns about corruption and misappropriation of funds by the county executive on various media and public platforms.
He has received both praise and criticism for this.
The Siaya County Assembly has rejected his allegations, declaring them to be without merit.
There is already a motion to impeach him on the grounds of abuse of office, gross misconduct, and Constitutional violation.
If successful in both the House of Representatives and the Senate, Oduol will be the first deputy governor to be removed from office.
He has vowed to fight to the bitter end for what he believes is in the public and Siaya County’s best interests.
“I wish to reassure the citizens of Siaya County that I will not be deterred from fulfilling my responsibility to serve with honesty and integrity. “I will continue to speak the truth and advocate for the use of public funds to be transparent and accountable,” said Oduol.
He stated that it was time for the governor’s office to put its interests aside and work for the benefit of Siaya’s citizens.
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However, Oduol is no stranger to controversy, and he will not leave without a fight. He has been an irritant to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and its leader, Raila Odinga, for a long time.
In the 2013 General Election, he ran against Cornel Rasanga, the incumbent governor of Siaya, but lost. He challenged Rasanga’s victory in court, resulting in a new election.
In the grueling and closely contested by-election, Rasanga again prevailed.
2017 elections, he was not active in county politics, but he remained influential. In 2022, Mr. James Orengo chose him as his running mate in the Siaya gubernatorial race, after Oduol abandoned his plans to run for the Alego Usonga parliamentary seat.
Orengo made a calculated and strategic decision because he desired votes from the populous Alego Usonga sub-county.
Nicholas Gumbo, Orengo’s bitter rival, played the same card by selecting former police spokesman Charles Owino.
Alego Usonga, the county’s largest constituency, had over 123,000 voters.
Owino is originally from Karuoth in Alego Usonga, but he now resides in Ugenya, which is Orengo’s base; therefore, selecting him would appeal to both bases, giving Gumbo a boost.
However, Gumbo was dealt a major blow when Owino abruptly withdrew from the race after being recalled to the National Police Service, and the former member of parliament for Rarieda opted for veteran journalist David Ohito.
The Orengo-Oduol ticket would easily defeat the Gumbo-Ohio ticket on August 9, 2022.
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“The goose is prepared”
With the ODM party now intervening in the feud between Oduol and Orengo and calling for the former’s resignation if he refuses to toe the line, analysts believe the deputy governor’s political aspirations are in jeopardy.
However, pundits are quick to add a caveat that the move to impeach him could go either way and embarrass the Raila-led faction, as the process must go through the Senate for debate and approval.
This could be a significant obstacle because it will boil down to a numbers game, which remains a challenge for the coalition party Azimio la Umoja One Kenya.
Prof. Obora Okoth, a political commentator, believes that Oduol’s political career will end if the impeachment is successful, which he doubts given the current national political climate.
“Oduol’s career will end as a result of his impeachment, as the sociopolitical characteristics of the Luo community will not allow him to advance. “The Luos do not forgive or forget easily, and if you show any arrogance to their supreme leader, it will be the beginning of your downfall,” says Okoth.
In addition, he explains that the war between the two is a result of their political marriage of convenience, which is why Oduol, whom he describes as ambitious, will continue to be a problem if the situation is not resolved immediately.
However, he believes that the ODM party, Orengo, and Oduol should find a way to resolve the issue without making “too much noise” because everyone has something to lose.
Mr. Auscar Wambiya, who served as Rasanga’s chief of staff and is familiar with Alego Usonga and Siaya politics, believes that Oduol will lose the battle.
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“He is accused of standing up for the people of Alego Usonga Constituency instead of Siaya County as a whole, calling people “thieves” without following due process to charge them, and overstepping his role as governor,” Wambiya states.
Wambiya suggests that if Oduol is dissatisfied with the administration of the county, he should follow the example of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, who resigned and sought a new mandate through alternative channels in 1966.
Oduol, 51, has always stated that he is a chartered accountant to demonstrate his extensive knowledge and experience in financial management and auditing.
In addition to being a businessman, he has investments in the construction and hospitality industries.
He has held senior leadership positions with many of the world’s most recognizable brands, including Westcon-Comstor, Microsoft, and Safaricom, driving partner and channel excellence.
He was also named Gorilla’s regional president for the Middle East and Africa two years ago.
William Oduol ‘Denge’: A Man with an Unconventional Approach
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