James Orengo has demanded the immediate release of several members of his staff who he says were arrested and detained in Siaya County and Nairobi ahead of a planned visit by William Ruto.
In a statement issued on Saturday evening, the Siaya Governor said the arrests were carried out by police and linked them to preparations for the President’s tour of the county.
“This evening several members of my staff have been arbitrarily arrested and detained in Siaya and Nairobi in connection with the presidential visit to Siaya tomorrow,” Orengo said.
He strongly criticised the arrests, saying such actions go against the principles of a democratic country and the Constitution.
“This egregious conduct on the part of the police has no place in a constitutional democracy. I demand their immediate release,” he added.
President Ruto is expected to attend a thanksgiving ceremony on Sunday for Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga at Okela Primary School in Uyoma, Siaya County.
The alleged arrests come at a time of growing political tension within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). Orengo has recently emerged as one of the most outspoken leaders within the party against what he describes as a growing political relationship between ODM and Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance.
The governor is a key figure in the Linda Mwananchi faction linked to Edwin Sifuna, the Nairobi Senator. This group has strongly opposed closer cooperation between ODM and the ruling coalition.
The faction has also rejected a Special Delegates Convention called by ODM Deputy Secretary General Catherine Omanyo scheduled for March 27 in Nairobi, saying the meeting was called without following the party’s constitution.
Orengo earlier said leaders from his side would not attend the meeting, insisting that it was not properly convened.
He has also criticised a political agreement signed last year between the late ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Ruto.
Marking the first anniversary of that agreement on Saturday, the governor said the moment had changed from one of celebration to “a day of betrayal and rage.”
He warned that the party was being weakened following Odinga’s death more than four months ago.
“The destruction of his legacy and party ODM is well on course under the stewardship of a cabal of brokers and opportunists,” Orengo said.
He further claimed that some leaders within the party were pushing a plan to have ODM absorbed into UDA before the 2027 General Election.
“The brokers in ODM are halfway through with the process of having ODM being swallowed by UDA,” he claimed.
Despite the disagreements within the party, Orengo has maintained that leaders opposed to the current direction of ODM will remain inside the party and continue pushing for change from within rather than forming a new political movement.
While President Ruto attends the event in Siaya on Sunday, Orengo and leaders allied to the Linda Mwananchi faction are expected to travel to Kaiti Constituency in Makueni County for a separate political engagement.
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