By TWV Investigative Team
As residents of Busia County brace themselves for the 2027 General Election, a vicious feud between Governor Paul Otuoma and County Assembly Speaker Fred Odilo has spiralled into a dangerous and absurd spectacle, threatening to destabilise governance in the county.
To unlock the full article:
Choose one of the options below:
- Ksh 10 – This article only
- Ksh 300 – Monthly subscription
- Ksh 2340 – Yearly subscription (10% off)
Sources close to the county administration, speaking exclusively to The Weekly Vision, reveal that the escalating animosity between these former allies stems from Odilo’s declared ambition to challenge Otuoma for the governorship in the coming elections. Their rivalry has since transformed into a high-stakes power struggle, marked by allegations of corruption, financial sabotage, and even threats of violence.
The conflict reached a boiling point on 6 August 2025, when officers from the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) conducted early-morning raids, arresting six senior officials in Otuoma’s administration. Those detained included three County Executive Committee Members, Topister Nyati Wanyama, Peter Khasamule Odima, and Paul Olung’a Bartholomew Ekwenye, alongside a chief officer and two directors. They stand accused of misappropriating Ksh1.4 billion through irregular procurement processes.
The tenders, awarded to 26 proxy companies allegedly linked to the officials’ relatives, have sparked public outrage. Otuoma’s camp accuses Odilo and his allies of orchestrating the raids by proxy to humiliate the governor, alleging that the speaker’s influence over anti-corruption probes is being wielded as a political weapon. In retaliation, Odilo claims Otuoma is funding Busia-based bloggers to tarnish his reputation with accusations of financial mismanagement within the County Assembly.
Elected in September 2022, Odilo has styled himself as a champion of accountability, vowing to scrutinise the executive. Yet Otuoma’s allies dismiss this as a façade, accusing the speaker of exploiting his role to settle personal scores.
Further allegations paint a grim picture. Insiders claim Otuoma is deliberately withholding payments for invoices tied to a company in which Odilo reportedly holds a significant financial interest. This company had won the tender to construct the Nasewa Industrial Park, a flagship project of the Otuoma administration. The non-payment is allegedly designed to financially cripple Odilo’s 2027 campaign.
More alarmingly, unverified reports circulating on social media suggest Otuoma has threatened physical harm against the speaker, prompting Odilo to request protection from four armed National Police Service officers.
Sources confirm that Odilo has been working from home for weeks, citing safety fears, and was recently spotted in Mombasa, reportedly to avoid confrontation. When contacted by our writer, Odilo claimed he was in a meeting with a senior Cabinet Secretary but failed to follow up as promised.
This feud echoes past Busia political disputes, notably Otuoma’s 2017 clash with then-Governor Sospeter Ojaamong over similar corruption allegations. With the EACC currently investigating 71 active cases in the county, the scale of alleged graft is staggering.
As Otuoma and Odilo’s tactics of arrests, smear campaigns, and financial sabotage divert attention from pressing issues such as healthcare and infrastructure, Busia’s residents bear the brunt of a fractured administration, with transformative governance remaining a distant promise.
[/full]
