Why I've resigned, Magwanga tells it all

Joseph Oyugi Magwanga has resigned as the Deputy Governor of Homa Bay County, citing frustrations that he said made it difficult for him to effectively discharge his duties.

Magwanga stepped down from his position as deputy to Governor Gladys Wanga, with whom he was elected during the 2022 General Election.

He said his decision was informed by challenges he faced in carrying out his responsibilities. Magwanga claimed that his office was locked in December last year, preventing him from accessing it.

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He also alleged that his official vehicle was taken away and that another vehicle assigned to him was not fuelled.

“I resigned on grounds that I wasn't able to discharge my duties under frustrations. I didn't want to earn salaries without working,” Magwanga said.

Speaking to journalists in Oyugis town, Kasipul Constituency, on Thursday, Magwanga said he did not have a conducive working environment to effectively execute his mandate.

Ahead of the 2022 General Election, the late Raila Odinga is reported to have intervened and encouraged Magwanga and Wanga to run on a joint ODM party ticket. Magwanga said he had shelved his own gubernatorial ambitions at the time to support the joint ticket.

He expressed dissatisfaction with the current working relationship and said he had decided to step aside.

“I will be on the ballot in 2027. Let Governor Wanga prepare for competition, and it is the people of Homa Bay who will decide,” he said.

Magwanga has since declared his intention to contest the gubernatorial seat in the 2027 elections. He previously ran for the position in 2017 but was unsuccessful.

He was accompanied by former Homa Bay County Assembly Speaker Julius Gaya, who also spoke about his past experiences in county leadership. Gaya said he had earlier resigned from his position as Speaker, citing differences with the executive.

Magwanga’s resignation adds a new political dimension to Homa Bay County’s leadership landscape as attention gradually shifts to the 2027 polls.

The once-cordial ties between the governor and her deputy began to unravel following divergent political positions and internal administrative disagreements. The fallout can be traced back to the divisive November 27, 2025, Kasipul parliamentary by-election. Magwanga publicly defied Wanga by campaigning for Kasipul MP candidate Philip Aroko, despite Wanga leading campaigns for the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) candidate Boyd Were.

The by-election exposed sharp political differences within the county leadership and is widely seen as the turning point in their strained relationship. Shortly afterwards, Wanga initiated a sweeping reorganisation of her administration.

The shake-up saw several senior officials lose their positions, including Magwanga, who was removed from his role as the County Executive Committee (CEC) Member for Agriculture. Dr Peter Ogolla, who had been serving as the CEC Member for Lands, was also relieved of his duties. In a letter signed by County Secretary Bernard Muok, the governor defended the changes as necessary for better service delivery.

“In order to enhance service delivery to better serve the people of Homa Bay, and while exercising the powers bestowed on me, I reassign Danish Onyango as the executive member for Agriculture. Dr Peter Ogolla is dismissed as provided under Section 35(a) of the County Governments Act,” Wanga stated.

Around the same time, the governor publicly cautioned officials who could not align with her administration’s agenda, advising them to consider resigning. Tensions escalated further in early February when Magwanga moved to court, challenging what he termed as the governor’s decision to close his office.

According to Magwanga, the closure left him without a workspace and effectively rendered him incapable of executing his constitutional mandate as deputy governor.

“I went to court to petition the court to order the governor to unlock my office that she locked last year. She has rendered me jobless. I have nowhere to sit to offer my services to the people of Homa Bay,” Magwanga said.

He argued that keeping his office locked undermined service delivery and denied county residents the support and representation they were entitled to receive. Magwanga maintained that he could not discharge his duties from home or under a tree, insisting that the office space was essential for him to serve effectively.