Former Nairobi Town Clerk and governance expert Philip Kisia has strongly condemned a recent trip made by former minister and Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju, Siaya Governor James Orengo, and other Siaya leaders to State House.

While speaking on a podcast on Friday, June 6, Kisia expressed his displeasure with the leaders, especially Tuju and Orengo, for what he termed as stooping too low and begging the president for development.

According to Kisia, the Constitution is very clear on how development should be carried out.

Kisia argued that county governments have been empowered under the devolved system of governance, as outlined in the 2010 Constitution.

He questioned when the president would ever get time to work if all 47 governors were to go to the State House to plead for development the same way Orengo had done.

“It is clearly spelt out in the Constitution how development should roll out. We have 47 counties. If all of them were to go to the State House to talk about development, when will the President ever work?” Kisia asked.

He went on to question the logic behind two brilliant minds from Siaya, Tuju and Orengo, going to bow before another man, who, according to Kisia, is yet to achieve what they have achieved and who is not as clever as them, just to ask for development, something that is already a right enshrined in the Constitution.

“Jim and Raphael, brilliant minds from Siaya, are going to parade in front of another human being who is as clever as they are, who has not achieved what they have achieved… yet they were there,” Kisia posed.

He added that he would soon have a face-to-face conversation with Tuju to understand what exactly led him to the State House.

Kisia further recalled that both Tuju and Orengo worked under President Mwai Kibaki’s regime, yet leaders never trooped to State House to ask for development.

“Raphael worked with President Kibaki; did he ever see leaders trooping to State House asking for development?” Kisia asked.

State House visit

On June 5, 2025, Siaya Governor James Orengo led a delegation of Siaya County leaders, including businesspeople, elected officials, and clergy, to the State House, Nairobi, for a meeting with President William Ruto.

The discussions focused on development priorities for Siaya County, marking a shift from Orengo’s previous criticism of the Kenya Kwanza administration and its broad-based government pact with ODM leader Raila Odinga. Raphael Tuju, former Jubilee Party Secretary-General and ex-Cabinet Secretary, was among the attendees.