By Habil Onyango
The scramble and lobbying for the vacant position of Homa Bay Speaker’s seat has begun in earnest, with two lawyers expressing interest.
Sources have also intimated to Western Insight that a County Executive Committee (CEC) member is said to be interested in the seat and is viewed as the ideal candidate for the county government. Several high-profile meetings have been held to map out strategies for the next Speaker, with the CEC reportedly enjoying the support of a majority of top government officers in the county.
Those who have already declared interest include Nairobi advocate Ngala Odhoch and former Head of Protocol for the immediate former Governor Cyprian Awiti, Mr Apollo.
The seat fell vacant following the resignation of Speaker Julius Gaya to avoid impeachment by members of the County Assembly.
The main contest will pit High Court advocate Ngala Odhoch, popularly known as “Tsunami”, against the former Chief of Protocol in the office of the former Homa Bay Governor Cyprian Awiti, Mr John Apollo.
Ngala and Apollo are no strangers to the political arena, having vied for the Karachuonyo and Suba South parliamentary seats, respectively. Apollo also tried his luck in the Homa Bay Assembly Speaker’s race in 2022 but lost to the second Speaker, Elizabeth See, in a hotly contested election, falling short by just one vote.
The seat has already been declared vacant, and a fresh election is scheduled for this Thursday, 21 November 2024. Gaya, who served as the third Speaker of the Assembly, tendered his resignation to the Assembly Acting Clerk, Hannington Abeka Day.
“It is notified for the information of the general public, that under the provisions of Section 21(5)(d) of the Elections Act 2011, Section 11(1)(d) of the County Governments Act, 2012, and Standing Order No. 4 of the Homa Bay County Assembly Standing Orders, the Office of the Speaker became vacant on Tuesday, 12th November 2024. Subsequently, the House shall sit on Thursday, 21st November 2024, from 9:30 am to elect a new Speaker,” reads an advert in one of the dailies.
The two candidates have already picked their nomination papers from the Office of the Assembly Clerk.
Ngala, who is serving his 24th year as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya, is currently a Master’s degree student in Constitutional Law at the University of Nairobi. According to Ngala, he plans to inject decision-making by consensus, democracy, and consultations with members of the Assembly.
“The welfare of the members of the Assembly and the delivery of quality and quantity services to the people of Homa Bay County must take precedence,” he said.
Apollo takes pride in his service as Attorney General, Chief of Staff during Awiti’s tenure in Homa Bay, and as the Director of Protocol for the Lake Region Economic Bloc Secretariat (LREB). He holds an LLB in Law and a Master’s in Protocol and Diplomacy from the International School of Protocol and Diplomacy (ISPD) in Brussels, Belgium.
He is also a certified protocol and etiquette expert from the Protocol School of Washington, D.C., USA, and has completed a Senior Management Course (SMC) as well as a Legislative Drafting Course at the Kenya School of Government.
