Siaya Governor James Orengo has intensified the opposition’s 2027 campaign rhetoric, declaring himself Kenya’s “most senior politician” and vowing to lead efforts to remove President William Ruto from office in the next General Election.

Speaking during the Linda Mwananchi tour in Mwatate Town, Taita Taveta County, on Saturday, July 18, 2026, Orengo said his long political career had placed him ahead of President Ruto in seniority and that his current political mission was to ensure the Head of State leaves office through the ballot.

“I am the most senior politician in Kenya. I am senior to Ruto, na kazi yangu sasa ni kuhakikisha anaenda nyumbani,” Orengo told supporters.

The veteran politician also said the opposition was determined to avoid a repeat of previous disputed elections that ended up in court.

“Baada ya elections mmekuwa mkiona nikienda kortini kutetea Raila Odinga. Raundi hii hatutaki hiyo. Tunataka tukuwe kama Ol Kalou,” he said.

Referring to the recently concluded Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election, Orengo suggested that the opposition wanted future elections to be decided conclusively at the ballot box rather than through lengthy legal battles.

He further urged security officers to remain impartial during elections.

“Uchaguzi ikifika, polisi pia wakuwe kama raia wapige kura,” he added.

Linda Mwananchi takes campaign to Coast

Orengo was addressing supporters during the Linda Mwananchi movement’s Taita Taveta tour, which included rallies in Mwatate, Wundanyi and Voi towns as the opposition continued expanding its grassroots mobilisation ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The movement has held similar engagements in Kisumu, Laikipia, Kwale and other counties, positioning itself as a platform advocating constitutionalism, accountability and political change.

Saturday’s rally also featured Suba South MP Caroli Omondi and other opposition leaders, who used the forum to criticise the broad-based government and urge wananchi to rally behind the Linda Mwananchi agenda.

Veteran of Kenya’s democratic struggles

Orengo’s remarks carry weight given his long history in Kenyan politics.

The senior counsel entered Parliament in 1980 after winning the Ugenya parliamentary seat and later became one of the country’s most prominent pro-democracy activists during the struggle for multiparty politics in the 1980s and 1990s. He has served as Cabinet minister, senator, Senate Minority Leader and is currently serving his first term as Governor of Siaya County.

He also played a central role in several presidential election petitions filed by ODM leader Raila Odinga following disputed elections, particularly in 2013 and 2017, where he was among the lead lawyers challenging the presidential results before the Supreme Court.

Ol Kalou emerges as opposition rallying point

Orengo’s reference to the Ol Kalou by-election reflects the growing political significance attached to the contest.

The opposition has repeatedly cited the by-election as evidence that voters can defeat the ruling coalition through the ballot, with several leaders describing it as a possible preview of the political landscape heading into the 2027 General Election.

In recent days, multiple opposition figures have invoked the Ol Kalou outcome while calling for unity and intensified voter mobilisation across the country.

Opposition ramps up 2027 mobilisation

The Taita Taveta tour forms part of a wider opposition campaign aimed at strengthening grassroots networks more than a year before Kenyans head to the polls.

Linda Mwananchi leaders have maintained that they will continue holding public engagements despite disruptions witnessed during some of their previous rallies, insisting that their focus remains mobilising voters and advocating peaceful, democratic political change.

Orengo concluded by urging Kenyans to prepare for what he described as a decisive election in 2027, expressing confidence that the opposition would seek victory through the ballot rather than the courts.