In the high-stakes world of politics, where appearances often translate to votes, former Migori Member of the County Assembly (MCA) Joshua Ong’oma found himself entangled in a web of financial decisions that ultimately led to significant consequences.
In the months leading to the 2022 General Election, Ong’oma received a substantial sum of Ksh5 million.
Faced with the pressure to maintain a certain lifestyle and uphold his image as an MCA, he embarked on a spending spree.
A significant portion of this money, approximately Ksh2.5 million, was allocated to building houses for his three wives.
The desire to provide for his family and meet societal expectations drove him to make these financial commitments.
“After receiving Ksh5 million, I began to think about what I would do with the amount. Since I was an MCA I wondered what people would say when they visited my residence and find a poorly constructed house. So I was stuck on whether to build or buy a house. At last, I decided to build a house,” he said.
However, as he poured money into construction and other expenses, Ong’oma soon found himself in dire straits. The lavish spending on houses, trips abroad, and other indulgences quickly depleted his funds.
He had constructed a house, valued at Ksh1 million for his first wife. However, after the estimates were calculated, the house valuation increased to Ksh2 million.
“I had a second wife, and decided to also build her a house as it would not be fair to leave her out, I used Ksh800,000 to build her a house.”
To match what he had done for his two wives, he also built a house for his third wife, spending over Ksh2.5 million on the three houses.
Additionally, he decided to buy a car, a Toyota Wish model, to add to his image. He would also purchase clothing, and furnish the three houses among other things.
Realizing he needed more money for his election campaign, he resorted to taking a loan of Ksh300,000, using his vehicle as collateral.
Initially, he believed he could manage the debt, but the pressure mounted as the elections drew nearer.
Despite his confidence that he could recover financially if he retained his political seat, fate had a different plan. Ong’oma lost the election to Simon Nyaoke, the Orange Democratic Movement’s candidate
. This defeat not only marked the end of his political career but also left him grappling with the consequences of his financial decisions.
