CS Owalo, Governor Orengo supremacy battle plays out at funeral in Bondo

The battle for who between Orengo and Owalo was the senior person in the gathering took center stage as pro-government and anti-government the MPs differed on protocol during the burial ceremony that was held at Bar-Chando primary school grounds.

Drama began when Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda directed his Rarieda counterpart Otiende Amollo, who was the master of ceremony, to ensure that Siaya Governor James Orengo is invited to speak before ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo.

“In the interest of peace, we want to allow protocol to be as it should, MPs, Senator, PS, Governor, Cabinet Secretary,” Ochanda stated. 

However, this did not auger well with Alego/Usonga MP Samuel Atandi who insisted that there is no way that CS Owalo could speak after governor Orengo who is an elected leader and Owalo is not.

Atandi stated that Ochanda was wrong given that the pecking order demands that the governor should speak last because he is the one who has been elected.

When it was time for calling governor Orengo and CS Owalo to address the mourners, Amollo decided that the Cabinet Secretary was going to speak first then followed by governor Orengo.

He stated that he made the decision given that there are two levels of government in the country and that the senior most person at the county level is the governor.

And when he rose to speak, ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo only called for peaceful coexistence and collaboration amongst the leaders in the Nyanza region, saying that they don't need to be separated by cheap politics.