Court Stops Vetting of Homa Bay Deputy Governor and CEC Nominees

The Employment and Labour Relations Court in Kisumu has issued an interim order halting the vetting and approval process for the Homa Bay Deputy Governor nominee and two County Executive Committee nominees.

Justice Nzioki Wa Makau directed that the ongoing vetting and approval of Danish Onyango as Deputy Governor nominee, Isaac Ongiri as governance nominee, and Obiny Dede as trade nominee must stop until the petition challenging their nominations is heard and determined.

The court order came after two Homa Bay residents, Michael Kojo and Evance Oloo Gor, filed a petition against Homa Bay Governor Gladys Wanga, the Homa Bay County Assembly, the Clerk of the County Assembly, and the County Attorney.

In their petition, the residents argue that the nominations fail to comply with the constitutional requirement on gender balance in public appointments. They state that the law requires no more than two-thirds of members of a public body to be of the same gender.

The petitioners told the court that the nominations as submitted do not meet the constitutional threshold on gender equity. They therefore sought to stop the vetting process from proceeding.

The County Assembly Committee on Appointments had already vetted the three nominees last Thursday. The committee was expected to table its report before the full assembly for approval before the court intervention stopped the process.

The dispute stems from recent changes in the Homa Bay County Executive. Governor Gladys Wanga nominated Danish Onyango for the position of Deputy Governor and appointed Isaac Ongiri and Obiny Dede to head the governance and trade departments respectively.

The case will be mentioned on April 28, 2026. At that time, the court is expected to give further directions on the hearing of the petition. The suspension of the vetting and approval process remains in place until the matter is fully resolved.