Siaya Governor James Orengo’s cabinet nominees were today rejected by the County Assembly, which accused him of failing to adhere to the County Assembly Approvals Act.

The County Assembly Select Committee on Appointments, chaired by Speaker George Okode, accused the governor of re-appointing individuals previously rejected by the assembly, despite statutory provisions barring such actions.

“Section 10 of the County Assembly Approvals Act 2017 provides that ‘where nomination of a candidate is rejected by the county assembly, the appointing authority shall submit to the county assembly the name of another candidate and the procedure for approval specified in this Act shall apply accordingly,’” said Okode.

Okode informed the nominees, George Odhiambo Nying’iro (Finance and Economic Planning) and Grace Agola (Education, Youth Affairs, Gender, and Social Services), that because they were previously rejected, it was unlawful for the governor to re-submit their names.

“Section 2 of the Act states that the nominating authority shall not re-submit the name of a candidate whose nomination has been rejected by the county assembly unless the circumstances for the rejection did not exist or ceased to exist at the time of the rejection,” Okode added, clarifying that this exception did not apply to either candidate.

He assured the nominees that the error was not theirs, but rather the governor’s, who should have ensured all submissions complied with the law.

“During this nomination, the appointing authority failed to provide information fulfilling the statutory requirements,” the Speaker noted.

When asked if he had anything to state before the committee, CECM nominee for Finance George Nying’iro declined to comment, gathered his documents, and departed.

However, the nominee for Education, Grace Agola, put up a spirited defense.

She explained that her previous rejection stemmed from a lack of documentation proving her teaching experience, noting that some of her certificates had been destroyed in a fire and that she was working with the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) to obtain replacements.

“I am ready to go to Migori Teachers Training College, where I trained, to get copies if allowed,” she said.

Earlier in the day, the committee also vetted Dorothy Ruth Ayoma Owiro for a position on the Siaya County Public Service Board. The committee is expected to table its final report before the assembly shortly.