Governor Orengo claims staff members arrested ahead of President Ruto’s Siaya visit

Siaya Governor 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 President William Ruto’s planned visit to the county.

In a statement issued Saturday evening, Orengo accused the police of carrying out arbitrary arrests linked to preparations for the President’s tour.

“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 condemned the arrests as unconstitutional and called for their immediate release.

“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 on Sunday expected to grace the thanksgiving ceremony of Medical Services Principal Secretary Dr. Ouma Oluga at Okela Primary School in Uyoma, Siaya County.

The alleged arrests of Orengo’s staff members come against the backdrop of rising political tensions within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where the Governor has emerged as one of the most outspoken critics of a perceived political rapprochement between the party and President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

The Siaya county boss is a key figure in the Linda Mwananchi faction allied to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, which has opposed closer cooperation with the ruling coalition.

The faction has also rejected the Special Delegates Convention called by ODM’s Deputy Secretary General Catherine Omanyo for March 27 in Nairobi, terming the meeting illegal.

Orengo earlier said leaders aligned to his camp would not attend the convention, arguing that it had not been properly convened in accordance with the party constitution.

The Governor has also been a sharp critic of the political deal signed last year between the late ODM leader Raila Odinga and President Ruto.

Marking the first anniversary of the agreement on Saturday, Orengo issued a scathing statement saying the day had turned from a moment of celebration into “a day of betrayal and rage.”

He warned that ODM was being systematically 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 alleged that a section of party leaders was pushing a plan to have ODM absorbed into UDA 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.

Orengo has consistently insisted that despite the deepening internal wrangles, leaders opposed to the current direction of the party will remain within ODM and fight from inside rather than forming a new political outfit.

While President Ruto and, presumably, the ODM Linda Ground faction will be in his backyard on Sunday, Orengo and the Linda Mwananchi team will be heading to Kaiti Constituency in Makueni County.