By Anderson Ojwang
After 32 years, the supremacy battles between late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga’s Young Turks from Nyanza have finally been settled.
In what appears as turning tables and a last laugh has left one of the members of young Turks licking his wounds and eating humble pie.
Immediate Former ODM leader Raila Odinga recently handed Kisumu governor Prof Anyang Nyong’o a sweet revenge and last laugh over his Siaya counterpart James Orengo in Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leadership matrix.
In a sweet revenge served cold, Raila proposed Nyong’o to be the interim ODM party leader as he exits the local political scene for continental arena where he is contesting for AU chair.
Raila recently announced that he was exiting local politics and opted for Nyong’o who is in the final term as Kisumu Governor to act and assume the community defacto supremo.
Orengo had embarked on aggressive campaign to be the party leader and rolled out an elaborate campaign where he met party chairperson from all the branches.
He also mobilized within the party ranks and files to succeed Raila and to be the eventual the community kingpin.
But alas, Raila pulled the rags under Orengo feet when he proposed Nyong’o and every member rushed to second his choice with the former left licking his sore wounds.
During the succession battle after Jaramogi’s death for the Ford-K leadership witnessed a fall out between Raila and Orengo over the seat for the vice chairman.
A fierce political battle broke out in Ford-K with Orengo and Nyong’o siding with the late Kijana Wamalwa while Raila remained with majority of MPs from Nyanza.
Raila finally, decamped from Ford-K to little known and now defunct National Development Party (NDP) where he sought re-election in a by election and won.
Orengo and Nyong’o remained in the party and the latter moved to Social Democratic Party (SDP) where he supported former minister Charity Ngilu for presidency
According to Rev John Limo said Nyong’o invited Orengo to SDP but soon power struggle broke out between two camps in the party.
“We had Secretary General Apollo Njonjo and Orengo in one camp against Nyong’o and Ngilu in another camp. Orengo’s camps had the legal documents for the party and Nyong’o and Ngilu were rendered irrelevant,” he said.
Rev Limo said it took the intervention of the late bishop John Okullu, former minister Raphael Tuju and himself to convince Nyong’o to join Raila’s led LDP in 2002 elections.
“In 2002 Orengo ran for Presidency on SDP ticket and performed dismally. Nyong’o had hinted of running for presidency on the party ticket,” he said.
In 2002, Orengo said he vied for the presidency on a Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket out of sheer frustration and to make a protest statement, after Raila and Wamalwa opted to support “an outsider (a non-liberation crusader)”.
Political Commentator Joshua Nyamori said the appointment of Nyong’o was a sweet revenge served on Orengo for his constant opposition to various political arrangements and formations.
‘Raila settled on Nyong’o because he can trust him and can negotiate on behalf of the community during this time unlike Orengo who was opposed to the Broad based government,” he said.
Nyamori said the supremacy battle has now been settled and laid to rest with the appointment of Nyong’o and Orengo has to now accept and move on.
Over the years, Orengo has politically deserted Raila at three crucial moments – in 1996 when he supported the candidature of Kijana Wamalwa against Raila for the leadership of Ford-Kenya, in 2002 when he decamped from Raila to vie for the presidency and this year in February, when he abandoned Raila during the party’s chaotic national elections at Kasarani Gymnasium
