Siaya Governor James Orengo has launched one of his strongest attacks yet on President William Ruto, accusing him of weakening the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) and turning it into a party confined to Luo Nyanza.
Speaking during a tour of Homa Bay County on Wednesday, Orengo said President Ruto had failed to honour the commitments contained in the 10-point agreement signed with ODM leader Raila Odinga. He argued that the unfulfilled pact had fuelled growing discontent within the party and deepened divisions among its supporters.
“President Ruto, if you really love Luos, you must keep the promises you made to Raila Amolo Odinga,” Orengo said. “They are in writing. They are not things that were simply said in the air. They were part of the 10-point agenda, and you have not implemented even one.”
His remarks come as political tensions continue to simmer within ODM, where rival camps have emerged over the party’s relationship with President Ruto’s administration. The divisions have crystallised into the Linda Ground and Linda Mwananchi factions, exposing growing disagreements over the party’s future direction.
Orengo blamed the President for the split, saying the cooperation agreement had drifted far from its original purpose.
“Raila said there could be no coalition until the 10-point agenda was addressed,” he said. “You have taken away Raila’s party, the strongest party in the Republic of Kenya. You want to turn it into a Luo party.”
He added: “You can take that party and those useless leaders, but Raila will wake up in another form, in another shape and at another time, which is today.”
The governor also criticised ODM leaders who have backed President Ruto’s bid for re-election, arguing that their position was weakening the party’s identity. He insisted that members of the Linda Mwananchi faction would not be intimidated.
The political exchanges unfolded against a backdrop of unrest in Homa Bay Town.
Before Orengo arrived in the central business district, a group of youths blocked sections of the Homa Bay-Rongo road using stones and construction materials. Clashes later broke out between youths supporting the governor and those attempting to stop his convoy, with both sides throwing stones.
Despite the confrontation, Orengo proceeded into the town and addressed residents, condemning what he described as the use of hired goons to disrupt political meetings.
The Presidency had not publicly responded to Orengo’s remarks at the time of publication.
The latest confrontation underscores the widening political fault lines within ODM and the increasingly strained relationship between some of the party’s senior leaders and President Ruto, even as cooperation between sections of ODM and the Kenya Kwanza administration continues.
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