Wandayi declares Orengo’s political machinery dismantled, urges him to return to ODM

NAIROBI, Kenya, Nov 2 – Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi has claimed he has dismantled Governor James Orengo’s political network in Siaya, declaring that the county is being consolidated into the broad-based political movement bringing together the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Wandayi said he was working to bring together politicians who had distanced themselves from the broad-based arrangement, insisting there was little political space for alternative parties in the county. Speaking about Orengo’s decision to establish a separate political outfit, the Cabinet Secretary said the governor was free to pursue his political interests but maintained that he remained welcome in the broad-based political arrangement. He revealed that he had personally reached out to Orengo, urging him to reconsider his position and return to the political alliance. “I told the governor Orengo that he is free to come back here, to come back to the broad-based coalition. I have seen he has decided to form some party, some fringe party. He launched it somewhere, I think in somebody’s home in Kwale, I think,” Wandayi said. The CS, however, dismissed the prospect of rival political formations gaining a foothold in Siaya, saying he was aggressively mobilising leaders who had moved away from the UDA-ODM arrangement. He cited the Linda Mwananchi faction and the Green Democratic Party of Kenya (GLDP) among the political groupings whose members he was seeking to bring back into the broad-based movement. Wandayi said his objective was to ensure that Siaya presented a united political front as the country approaches the 2027 General Election. “I am working very, very aggressively to bring all of them into our movement the broad-based movement comprising of UDA and ODM,” he said. He went further to claim that Orengo had lost much of his political organisational influence in the county, expressing confidence that Siaya would eventually align itself with the broad-based arrangement. “In fact, within a very short time, I have succeeded in dismantling the political infrastructure of Governor Oro completely, and that gives me the confidence that as we move along, this county of Siaya will be literally a broad-based zone,” he added. Wandayi also defended his role in the national government, saying his responsibilities extended beyond his political backyard and required him to serve Kenyans across the country. He dismissed suggestions that his Cabinet position should be viewed through the lens of local political interests, insisting that his appointment came with a national responsibility. “I am not a cabinet secretary of one particular village or two, three villages. No, I am a cabinet secretary of the republic of Kenya with an obligation to serve every part of this country and every citizen of this country under the guidance and direction of his excellency the president,” he said. The Energy CS maintained that political unity was a long-standing tradition among the people of Siaya, arguing that residents were accustomed to rallying behind a common political direction. “Our people are used to speaking in one voice, our people are used to walking together, and our people are used to voting in one direction,” he said. His remarks expose the growing political differences within Siaya’s leadership, particularly between supporters of the broad-based government arrangement and those opposed to the political cooperation between UDA and ODM. Orengo has increasingly taken a different political position from leaders supporting the broad-based arrangement, with his decision to establish a separate political outfit adding another dimension to the contest over the county’s political direction ahead of the next General Election.