By Anderson Ojwang
Siaya Governor James Orengo finally felt he has had enough of the Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi and opened a can of worms on the CS’s past.
Unknown to many, Orengo revealed how he secured Wandayi’s release from jail after he was charged with murder.
“CS for Energy is being very presumptuous. Sometimes, I don’t like going personal. I don’t like talking things about people. But this is a guy I removed from jail. He was charged with murder, and I spent time in court trying to defend him,” he said in a TV interview with KTN.
Orengo said he stood by and supported Wandayi when he wanted to be a Member of Parliament for Ugunja.
“When he wanted to be a Member of Parliament, I stood by him and made sure he got the nomination. A lot of these are claptrap at the end of the day,” he said.
Sweet deal
Orengo said Wandayi and his colleagues in the broad-based government were not driven by love for President William Ruto but by personal interest.
“They have just seen a good deal, and that deal is too attractive. By the way, if they could throw away former President Uhuru Kenyatta’s deal and take Ruto’s deal, who knows? If another deal is on the table, they may just run for it,” he said.
Constant
Orengo said he has been constant and has never changed his stand on the political discourse in the country.
“I am constant as the northern star. People who did politics with me like the late Masinde Muliro, the late Martin Shikuku, the late Kenneth Matiba, and subsequently the late Raila Odinga, Paul Muite, they know on matters of principle, I stand like a rock. I can negotiate on other issues,” he said.
Wandayi’s counter-attack
Wandayi criticised Orengo over what he termed as misleading the Luo community regarding the region’s political direction.
At a fundraiser at Ngunya Catholic Church in Ugunja constituency, Wandayi said it was illogical to tell the community that being in government was undesirable after years of seeking access to government.
“Let us ask him to leave the citizens of this place alone. These citizens know where they are going. If he says that being inside the government is bad, then what is good? And all these years we have been fighting so that we can get into government. How can you say that being in government is bad and yet all these years we have been fighting to be in government? What logic is that?” posed Wandayi.
The CS urged Orengo to allow residents to make their own political choices, arguing that the community is politically aware and capable of deciding its direction.
Broad-based Government
Orengo has dismissed the broad-based government and declared President William Ruto a one-term president.
This has put him on a collision path with Wandayi and a section of leaders from Nyanza, who have accused him of betrayal and rebellion.
Wandayi stated that leaders from Luo Nyanza, including MPs, Cabinet Secretaries, governors and Principal Secretaries, among others, are working within the government to push the region’s development agenda.
“We are working together with all the leaders of this region. We are working together in unity. Therefore, I have no worries. We have decided that our candidate for the presidential seat next year is President William Samoei Ruto,” he said.
Who is your presidential candidate?
The Energy CS further dared Orengo to declare an alternative presidential candidate.
“If you have your candidate, Mr Governor, come forward and tell us who it is. Or if it is you yourself who wants to run, come forward and say it today, and then we can compete against each other,” he said.
Wandayi added that he will lead a campaign across the Nyanza region to mobilise support for Ruto in the next election.
Orengo, who recently declared himself the de facto party leader, could be preparing himself for a second stab at the presidency and wants the community represented on both sides of the political divide.
Expert? Where did you train?
In a recent interview with Obinna TV, aired on Saturday, May 23, 2026, Orengo questioned the labelling of Wandayi as an expert.
He said Wandayi was not an expert since he lacks formal training in the energy sector.
“Wandayi is not an expert. I don’t think he went for training in a chemical institute or any training in the oil industry,” he said.
Impeachment
Wandayi and a section of leaders from the region have toyed with the idea of impeaching Orengo and have even led MCAs from the county to visit President Ruto at his Sugoi home.
But the attempt has failed to gain any meaningful push and has remained a cropper.
With 15 months to the general elections, Siaya politics will suddenly turn murkier, and who will blink first?
