The simmering political feud within the Homa Bay County leadership erupted into a public confrontation yesterday, after Deputy Governor Oyugi Magwanga was accosted by a group of men who successfully seized his official vehicle in Nairobi.
The dramatic incident, which sources allege was orchestrated by agents sent from Governor Gladys Wanga’s office, occurred while the Deputy Governor was attending a high profile coffee revival meeting convened by the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives Wycliffe Oparanya, at the Cooperative College in Nairobi.
According to eyewitness accounts, approximately ten men described in initial reports as “suspected agents” intercepted the Deputy Governor’s motorcade outside the meeting venue.
The men claimed to be acting on explicit directives to recover the official vehicle, arguing that the car was tied to the Agriculture ministry portfolio which Magwanga had been stripped of just hours before.”The group was determined and aggressive.
They confronted the DG’s security detail, and after a brief but tense standoff, they managed to drive away with the vehicle,” a source close to the Deputy Governor’s team confirmed.
The confrontation reportedly overwhelmed Magwanga’s security personnel, forcing the Deputy Governor to resort to using his personal vehicle to continue his attendance at the official Nairobi engagement.
The seizure of the car came on the heels of a significant administrative shuffle.
Hours earlier, Governor Gladys Wanga had relieved her deputy of his County Executive Committee (CEC) responsibilities, specifically removing him from the crucial docket of Agriculture.
The swift action of vehicle repossession has been widely interpreted as a direct escalation of the political differences between the two Homa Bay leaders, turning an administrative decision into a highly public and humiliating spectacle.
The tension was not confined to the capital. Simultaneously, in Homa Bay town, administrative work at the Deputy Governor’s offices was brought to a standstill.
Reports indicate that all offices falling under the Deputy Governor’s wing were locked down and access was denied to staff members.
Employees arriving for work were barred from entering their workstations, with claims circulating within the county government that the directive for the closures originated from Governor Wanga’s office.
Staff members have expressed concern over their employment and operational capacity, noting that the arbitrary shutdown effectively paralyzes the administrative function of the second highest office in the county government.
The twin incidents the vehicle seizure in Nairobi and the office closures in Homa Bay underscore a deep rift within the county’s executive structure, raising serious questions about the administrative cohesion and stability of the Homa Bay County Government.
Attempts to reach both Governor Wanga’s office and the county’s chief of staff for comment on the allegations of dispatching personnel for the seizure and alleged office Closures were unsuccessful by the time of going to press.
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