Siaya Governor James Orengo has skipped President William Ruto’s high-profile visit to his home county.

This comes amid outcry from the governor over the arrest of his staff members, describing the move as politically motivated intimidation just ahead of the presidential tour.

President Ruto was in Siaya on Sunday, March 8, 2026, to officially launch the Community Digital Hub in Bondo and attend a thanksgiving ceremony for Medical Services Principal Secretary Ouma Oluga at Okela Primary School in Uyoma.

With Orengo missing, Siaya senator and Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader Oburu Odinga ushered President Ruto to address the residents.

In his speech, Ruto made it clear that Oburu is the one who invited him to the county.

“Nimefika hapa Bondo kwa Sababu ya mwaliko wa party leader wa ODM Mheshimiwa Oburu Oginga ambaye amenialika kwa mambo muhimu sana ya ICT hub ya hapa community ya Siaya,” Ruto announced.

The governor’s absence, however, has intensified political tensions in the region, particularly within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), where Orengo leads the vocal Linda Mwananchi faction, which has been openly critical of both the presidency and the party’s current leadership direction.

Late on Saturday, March 7, 2026, evening, Governor Orengo announced that several members of his staff, including his personal bodyguard and senior aides, had been arrested in both Siaya and Nairobi ahead of President Ruto’s visit.

Orengo claimed that the detentions were linked directly to the presidential tour, claiming that security agencies were acting under political direction to suppress dissent.

Describing the arrests as arbitrary and unconstitutional, Orengo demanded the immediate release of his team.

“This egregious conduct on the part of the police has no place in a constitutional democracy,” he stated.

Security agencies have yet to clarify the reasons for the arrests, even as President Ruto’s itinerary continued without interruption.

ODM rift and Linda Mwananchi’s stance

Governor Orengo’s actions come amid a widening split within ODM following the death of party founder Raila Odinga in 2025.

The party is now divided into two major factions: the Linda Mwananchi group, led by Orengo and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, and the Linda Ground faction, aligned with party leader and Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga.

The Linda Mwananchi faction has rejected a Special Delegates Convention (NDC) scheduled for March 27, 2026, in Nairobi, calling it illegal and improperly convened under the party constitution.

Orengo has repeatedly condemned the proposed meeting and declined participation, maintaining that it undermines grassroots democracy.

Orengo and his allies have also criticised moves by some ODM leaders to form closer political ties with President Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ahead of the 2027 general elections, arguing that such alliances risk diluting the party’s identity and alienating its core supporters.