Orengo breaks silence after Seme funeral disruption
By Cynthia Lodite, May 2, 2026Siaya Governor James Orengo has issued a stern warning to individuals he accused of plotting violence against Linda Mwananchi, declaring that efforts to intimidate the movement’s activities would not succeed.
Orengo made his remarks shortly after attending the funeral service of MP James Nyikal’s father, the late Mzee Eliud Nyikal Okaka, in Ridore village, Seme Sub-county, in Kisumu County.
In a post on his official X account on Saturday, May 2, 2026, Orengo condemned a group of rowdy individuals who stormed the burial service while chanting political slogans.
“It is both shameful and a national disgrace that the State and its luckys could disrupt a solemn send off so rattled by the people’s unity that it resorted to unleashing goons,” Orengo said.
While describing the tense moment witnessed at the funeral service, Orengo explained that the disruptions forced the clergy to cut the service short.
A move, the governor says, led to a swift burial without speeches to preserve order and dignity.
“The situation became so tense that the clergy had to cut the service short, calling for an immediate burial without speeches to preserve order and dignity,” Orengo said.
Not bowing to intimidation
Following the incident, Orengo insisted that no amount of intimidation, teargas, or hired chaos would silence the Linda Mwananchi Movement.
The governor went on to describe the Linda Mwananchi Movement as a force of the people, which is unshaken amid its mission to defend and uplift the voice of every Kenyan.
“But let it be clearly understood; no amount of intimidation, no teargas, no hired chaos, and no acts of desperation will silence the Linda Mwananchi Movement. Linda Mwananchi is a force of the people, unstoppable, unshaken, and unwavering in its mission to defend and uplift the voice of every Kenyan,” Orengo added.
Orengo’s warning on goonism
Orengo’s remarks come days after he issued a statement ahead of a Linda Mwananchi rally, saying that the movement was fully aware of those orchestrating unrest and the interests they represent.
“We are fully aware of those orchestrating violence and the interests they serve. Abandon your schemes; this movement is an unstoppable force. The voice of the people is the voice of God,” Orengo said.