Orengo: I was never afraid to stand up to Raila
By Martin Oduor, May 6, 2026Siaya Governor James Orengo dismissed the long-held misnomer of a bitter fallout with Raila Odinga, while proudly declaring he has never been afraid to challenge the late opposition leader.
The Senior Counsel opened up about his decades-long relationship with the Odinga family during a TV interview on Wednesday night May 6, 2026, asserting that his willingness to stand his ground dates back to the era of Raila’s father, the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga.
Addressing the historical friction that followed the death of Jaramogi, Orengo clarified the events surrounding the leadership of Ford Kenya.
When asked by the interviewer about a supposed fallout after he supported Kijana Wamalwa over Raila, Orengo was quick to set the record straight.
“It wasn’t really a fallout, I think that is a misnomer,” Orengo explained.
“What happened was that Wamalwa was Jaramogi’s deputy and everybody in the party actually said you should be the chairman now, the leader of the party. Then the question was who becomes the deputy. We had a contest with Raila – a democratic contest – which I won. And I don’t regret it and between us it wasn’t an issue. What happened subsequently, Raila moved out of Ford Kenya and I also subsequently moved out of Ford Kenya”.
Despite later moving on from Ford Kenya, Orengo insisted that the two remained close, noting that Raila had previously described him as “one of Jaramogi’s sons” in his own literature.
“We got along. Look at the literature Raila has written and find out what he talks about me as a person in our political life. In some of the speeches before he died, he said politically, I was considered as one of Jaramogi’s sons. I was a brother to Raila just as he was a brother to me”.
Warning over BBI
The Siaya governor did not shy away from more recent clashes, specifically regarding the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI).
Orengo revealed that he had identified constitutional flaws in the document long before it was struck down by the judiciary.
“But there were times when we saw issues a little differently including the BBI – there were some issues in BBI that we didn’t agree but we discussed them,” Orengo stated.
“Raila had his way but I still supported him but I warned him about the dangers. When we went to court, we lost because of the issues we had raised. BBI had some provisions which went against the constitution”.
When pressed on whether he felt intimidated by Raila’s massive political stature, the 76-year-old was emphatic in his refusal to back down.
He also confirmed that he had stood in opposition to Raila during the debates over the Kilifi draft constitution.
“You weren’t afraid to stand up to him [Raila]?” the interviewer asked Orengo.
“Never never never,” Orengo replied when asked if he was afraid to stand up to the former Prime Minister.
“I was not afraid to stand up to Jaramogi – I mean his father. He was much senior politician”.
“You also differed with Raila over the Kilifi draft constitution?” the interviewer asked Orengo.
“Yes I differed with him,” Orengo asserted.
As Orengo continues his tenure as Siaya Governor, his reflections paint a picture of a political partnership built on mutual respect—and the courage to say “no” to Kenya’s most powerful figures.