President William Ruto hosts Siaya County Leaders to discuss issues of development days after his Nyanza tour.

The meeting, convened under the implicit blessing of ODM leader Raila Odinga, follows concerns by some Siaya leaders that the county has continued to lag compared with its peers in the region.

On the surface, the agenda is straightforward: Siaya’s development priorities, but it is laced with loud political undertones.

Beneath the project discussions lies a deeper political calculus, if the arrangements are anything to go by.

Siaya Governor James Orengo, known for his legal acumen, is expected to present a memorandum outlining the county’s demands.

 Luo Nyanza’s loyalty to Raila Odinga has long been unquestioned, yet the winds of practical politics are blowing.

At the centre of the divide is the burgeoning rapport between Raila and Ruto, which has left regional leaders navigating uncharted waters.

Sharp divisions have played out over the direction the region should take, and whether the broad-based arrangement was the best way.

Orengo, a staunch defender of ODM’s traditional opposition stance, has been vocal in his scepticism about cooperation with Ruto.

His reluctance to embrace the growing camaraderie between Raila and Ruto positioned him as a dissenting voice within the party.

On the other hand, are apologist voices rallying the region behind Ruto, arguing that there was no point in playing dissenting politics.

The standoff is said to be among the issues that slowed the engagement between the region’s leaders and the President.

Raila, during a session with Siaya leaders at the weekend, urged a ceasefire, arguing that it was not yet time for political competition.

He urged the competing forces to let the Orengo administration work.

“Time for campaigns is coming. Give the leaders, Orengo, Oburu and Alego Usonga MP Sam Atandi, time to work.”

Oburu Oginga, for his part, said they would not want unnecessary political fights to block development for the county.

Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi held talks Wednesday, June 4, 2025, with Siaya Governor James Orengo in an apparent bid to ease tensions ahead of the key meeting.

The meeting at Mbadi’s National Treasury offices is viewed as a decisive step toward a planned engagement at State House, where the President to discuss the county’s development agenda.

Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi orchestrated the pivotal meeting, where the leaders are expected to present projects they would want the Kenya Kwanza administration to intervene in.