Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o apologised to the family of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga after a publication in the dailies.
Oginga Odinga was among those named as land rate defaulters in Kisumu County which now Governor Nyong’o stated was erroneous.
The Kisumu Land Task Force Committee said that the county government was owed more than Ksh15 billion in land rates.Committee Secretary Nicholas Migot had claimed that the late vice-president, registered as Ajuma Oginga Odinga; Dr Oginga and Catholic Church Archbishop Zacchaeus Okoth were in the list.
The names were in a published list of 581 defaulters, that is of companies and individuals.
The list was published in a local daily by Kisumu County Secretary Dr Olang’o Onudi.
It stated that Ajuma Oginga Odinga, the owner of Kisumu Bloc 12/222, owes the county Ksh7,774,099 while Dr Oginga Ksh295,743. Dr Oginga’s land is marked as Kisumu Bloc 7/509.
Also in the list is former Cabinet Minister Peter Oloo Aringo, who owes Sh447 million as per the current records.
The defaulters are required to clear their arrears by December 21.
“The county government of Kisumu hereby gives notice to the general public and land rate defaulters, that for efficient land rate management and verification of ownership records as captured, the defaulters are directed to pay all their dues by December 21,” the notice stated.
The governor explained that the county compiled the list in an effort to manage the ballooning land rates account, a circumstance that has had serious implications on revenue management.
“This was an elaborate process that entailed reconciling the accounts resident in the various payment platforms, dating back to the defunct local authorities,” Mr Nyong’o said.
“The reconciliation process entailed crosschecking all relevant information, including minutes from sessions by the full councils of those defunct authorities [as well as] the decisions by the then state department of local authorities and the county Cabinet.”
The final document of the exercise, the county boss explained further, had not been processed through the county Cabinet for final action.
“It is therefore unfortunate that one of the many draft pieces was erroneously sent for publication in one of the dailies. It is unfortunate that this version sent to the public is not the final document being sent to the Cabinet and that is has caused untold embarrassment to the government,” he said.
“[This is] because some of the names appearing in that list were cleared during the processing period, following receipt of relevant documentation, and do not appear in the final document.”
The county chief went on to say, “One such name is that of this country’s icon in the independence struggle and the first vice-president, Jaramogi Oginga Odinga. The governor sends an unreserved apology to the family of the first vice-president for embarrassment caused by this publication.”
Governor Nyong’o said the final list will be published in due course.
“Once again, on behalf of the County Government of Kisumu, unreserved apologies to the family of H.E. Jaramogi Oginga Odinga for this enormous error,” he wrote.