Lawyer Willis Otieno has launched a public critique of political leaders, singling out Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda amid concerns over the deteriorating state of school infrastructure in Siaya County.

In a series of posts on X dated January 21 and 22, 2026, Otieno highlighted the situation at Chamagaha Primary School in South Sakwa, Bondo, where five classrooms and one office block were condemned by the Public Health Department following an inspection conducted in September.

Unsafe classrooms spark concern

According to Otieno, the inspection found the structures to be structurally unsafe, with immediate demolition recommended due to the danger posed to learners and teachers.

Despite repeated appeals by the school’s headteacher and Board of Management to local leaders, including the area MP, the MCA, the governor, and the Ministry of Education, the classrooms remain in use.

Otieno said the appeals have resulted in “endless referrals” and “empty promises,” forcing pupils to continue learning in buildings that risk collapse.

He framed the situation as a broader failure of leadership and accountability, particularly in constituencies that receive allocations through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF). He framed the situation as a broader failure of leadership and accountability, particularly in constituencies that receive allocations through the National Government Constituencies Development Fund (NG-CDF).

Targeting political priorities

In his posts, Otieno directly criticised Ochanda’s political engagements, contrasting them with the state of the school. “Gideon Ochanda has time for State House pilgrimages, energy for political chants, and enthusiasm for re-election theatre but none left for roofs that could cave in on children,” he wrote.

He added: “Until those classrooms are rebuilt, every TUTAM chant from Ochanda sounds less like confidence and more like confession.”

In a follow-up post on January 22, Otieno posed a series of rhetorical questions, asking, “If a leader has time for State House pilgrimages and chant rehearsals, why doesn’t he have time to fix classrooms that threaten children’s lives? What exactly are we rewarding; loyalty to power or responsibility to pupils?

“At what point did chanting slogans become a substitute for roofs, desks, and safety? Why should parents trust a man who protects politicians better than he protects children? If public money exists for rallies, fuel, and helicopters, why is there none for cement and iron sheets? Finally, if leadership cannot guarantee something as basic as a safe classroom, what exactly is it good for?”

Education funding debate widens

Otieno further accused Ochanda of prioritising political loyalty over duty, stating, “Ochanda has mastered stupidity but failed cement. He has lungs for chants but no spine for responsibility. Children sit under condemned roofs, and his response is to shout another man’s re-election mantra like a trained parrot begging for crumbs from State House.”

The remarks align with Otieno’s earlier criticism in January over the slow transition of thousands of Grade 10 learners to senior secondary school, despite the Education ministry extending the admission deadline to January 21. He said many learners remain at home due to the high cost of fees, uniforms and learning materials.

“Grade 10 learners are sitting idle at home, yet public funds are being splashed around as if education were optional. Somehow, extravagance has become policy while classrooms wait,” Otieno stated.