SIAYA, Kenya — James Orengo has demanded the immediate release of several members of his staff, whom he says were arrested and detained in Siaya and Nairobi ahead of a planned visit to the county by William Ruto.
In a statement issued Saturday evening, the Siaya governor accused police of carrying out arbitrary arrests linked to preparations for the president’s tour scheduled for Sunday.
“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 described the arrests as unconstitutional and called on authorities to release those detained without delay.
“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 for Ouma Oluga at Okela Primary School in Uyoma, Siaya County.
The alleged arrests come against the backdrop of escalating political tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where Orengo has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of what he describes as a growing political rapprochement between the party and the ruling United Democratic Alliance.
Orengo is a prominent figure in the Linda Mwananchi faction allied to Edwin Sifuna, which has opposed closer cooperation between ODM and the government.
The faction has also rejected a Special Delegates Convention called by ODM Deputy Secretary General Catherine Omanyo, scheduled for March 27 in Nairobi, describing the meeting as illegal.
Orengo earlier said leaders aligned to his camp would boycott the convention, arguing it had not been convened in accordance with the party constitution.
The governor has also sharply criticised a political agreement signed last year between the late ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Ruto.
Marking the first anniversary of the pact on Saturday, Orengo issued a strongly worded statement describing the day as having shifted from celebration to “a day of betrayal and rage.”
He warned that the party’s political strength was weakening 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.
The governor further alleged that some party leaders were advancing plans to have ODM absorbed into the United Democratic Alliance ahead of 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 intensifying internal wrangles, Orengo has insisted that leaders opposed to the current direction of the party will remain within ODM and push for reforms from within rather than forming a new political outfit.
While President Ruto and leaders associated with the ODM Linda Ground faction are expected to attend Sunday’s event in Siaya, Orengo and allies aligned to the Linda Mwananchi group are scheduled to travel to Kaiti Constituency in Makueni County for a separate political engagement.
