Siaya County Governor James Orengo has shelved his earlier threats of naming individuals trying to sell the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party to the highest bidder ahead of the 2027 general election.

Speaking in a local TV interview on Monday night, December 29, 2025, Orengo avoided parading the said persons while calling for caution before pushing ODM into any political coalition ahead of the next general election.

The Siaya County chief has been seen reading from a different script, as a faction of the ODM brigade is in full support of the current broad-based government formation between the Kenya Kwanza regime and the Oburu Odinga-led party.

They remain unnamed!

”For the moment, they remain unnamed, but it is quite clear that there are people who are going out of their way to try to get ODM into an arrangement that does not make sense. I think, before getting into coalitions, out of our experience over the years, it is important to take an audit . It is important to put down matters that need to be addressed before you can make adecision to get into that arrangement,” Orengo said.

Orengo’s caution comes against the backdrop of ODM deputy party leader, Abdulswamad Nassir, urging the political outfit to take a pragmatic approach to national politics by considering a formal pre-election coalition with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 general polls.

In a statement framed around the demands of leadership released on Monday, December 29, 2025, the Mombasa County Governor said difficult political moments require clear-eyed decisions grounded in reality rather than emotion. He argued that his position is informed by a sober assessment of the current political landscape, the balance of forces within it, and the most viable pathways for ODM to protect its interests while advancing its agenda.

UDA-ODM coalition

”Leadership sometimes requires making hard, pragmatic choices guided by a clear reading of reality. I am calling on my colleagues within
@TheODMparty to consider formalisation of a pre-election coalition with the United Democratic Alliance in good faith ahead of the 2027 elections. This position is informed by a sober assessment of the political terrain, the balance of forces, and the pathways available to protect our interests and advance our agenda,” Nassir wrote on X.

“Beyond the implementation of the 10-Point Agenda, politics is about choices,” Nassir said, emphasising that parties must choose engagement over perpetual confrontation, strategy over sentiment, and outcomes over slogans. According to the governor, such an approach would allow ODM to remain relevant and effective in shaping national policy and governance.