Siaya county governor James Orengo /Photo courtesy/
Perhaps Siaya Governor James Agrey Orengo is among the very few sound-minded leaders left in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party, or he could simply be playing to the gallery, a populist in tune with the masses.
Not once has the former Ugenya Member of Parliament unequivocally read from a script different different from his seniors.
Four years ago, Orengo was on the receiving end for criticizing the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI), the brainchild of the handshake between then ODM leader Raila Odinga and former President Uhuru Kenyatta.
His close ally, who shared his stance, Otiende Amolo, was even unceremoniously ejected from the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC) for allegedly sabotaging the BBI.
So vocal was Governor Orengo the then Siaya County senator that he openly flagged loopholes in the BBI report during grassroots engagements in his Siaya stronghold. This level of defiance was considered audacious.
It took just a few hours of a closed-door meeting between Orengo, his accomplice Otiende Amolo, ODM party leader Raila Odinga, and then ODM deputy party leader Wycliffe Oparanya to quash their dissent.
When Gen Z took to the streets to express disillusionment with President Ruto’s government, Raila Odinga saw an opportunity to agitate for another handshake with the president. However, James Orengo refused to toe the line and criticized the emerging development.
This antagonistic posture earned him favor among disillusioned young Kenyans, who viewed him as one of the few leaders standing firm in the face of perceived betrayal by Raila Odinga, a figure they had long admired for his vocal criticism of government excesses.
For Orengo, ODM’s foray into collaboration with the government amounted to political suicide, and he articulated this without equivocation. Not at funerals in Siaya, not in muted press statements—he was everywhere, forthright and unrelenting.
What followed was his controversial attendance at the homecomings of ODM appointees serving in the Kenya Kwanza government.
A man well-versed in the prophetic warning of German Lutheran Pastor Martin Niemöller, “First they came for the Communists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Communist.Then they came for the Socialists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Socialist.Then they came for the trade unionists, and I did not speak out—because I was not a trade unionist.Then they came for the Jews, and I did not speak out—because I was not a Jew. Then they came for me Orengo is no stranger to the peril of silence. However, his recent quietude has left many wondering whether he has lost his voice or is strategically biding his time.
The first-term governor appears to be back, this time lambasting those from Luo Nyanza who have cozied up to the government.
Despite Raila Odinga’s focus on continental politics, Orengo has publicly declared that Odinga will be on the ballot in the next general election, sparking debate on whether the ODM leader still stands a chance of reclaiming his political dominance.
In Orengo’s backyard, plans are reportedly afoot to hand Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi the ODM ticket to run for Siaya governorship in 2027. Raila’s inner circle seems determined to sideline Orengo.
Isolated after falling out with former allies like Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo and Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi, Orengo now finds himself in unfamiliar territory.
The governor is reportedly aligning himself with Ugenya MP David Ochieng and the Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party, a calculated contingency plan in case ODM denies him a ticket for his re-election bid.
Will Orengo navigate these political headwinds to regain ODM’s trust and secure another term, or will he chart a new path altogether?
