Most people have been asking themselves whether Governor Okoth Obado is really a victim is a target in a political witch hunt.
In a couple of months Obado has risen to fame for nothing more important than all controversies. Just few weeks Obado was granted bail in the alleged involvement of his girlfriend and unborn baby Sharon.
But the former high school teacher who talks with a typically deep Dholuo accent has rapidly risen from oblivion to a millionaire politician with massive political following in his backyard.
Despite his image of a simple and amiable Kenyan politician, police paint a picture of a man whose appetite for wealth and the fine things of life is unrivaled.
Faced with by a litany of court cases, including a capital offence, Obado’s tribulation have raised the question: Is he a criminal or a victim of political machinations?
In what has lifted the lid on Obado’s not so familiar lifestyle, police on Tuesday seized eight guns from his homes which they claim he illegally possessed.
POSH THINGS
A staunch Seventh Day Adventist and elder, Obado’s love for fine things emerged soon after he rode to power in 2013. His rural mansion in Rapogi from which he has been barred by the courts from visiting was an instant sensation. The EACC claimed that the house cost up a whopping Sh100 million. The house is located in a sleepy and dusty village on the outskirts of Migori town.
Besides the posh residence, the governor was accused of buying a luxurious bed costing one million shillings. The controversy dragged on for a while soon to be replaced with even more sensational stuff. In September this year, 11 senior officers in Obado’s administration were charged with purchasing Sh20 million furniture for the governor’s residence.
In what baffled many, for instance, EACC investigators claim the governor and his children flew to Australia carrying Sh4.5 million in US dollars. The money was allegedly laundered at a high-end casino. The anti-graft agency, however, did not reveal whether the governor was gambling.
Obado is believed to have registered a number of companies under his relatives. The governor is really living big from a humble high school teacher to a life almost of a tycoon.
Obado is expected today in court to see if the court will grant him bail or he will be detained according to the prosecution wish