Ruto has 'killed' ODM, Orengo says

Siaya Governor James Orengo has accused President William Ruto of “killing” the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), claiming the party’s failure to field a presidential candidate in the 2027 General Election marks the collapse of a political outfit that once provided a national platform for the opposition.

Orengo said it was a shame that ODM, a party that has participated in every election with a presidential candidate, was now unlikely to have one in the next election, blaming Ruto for weakening the party after entering into a political arrangement with the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

“If Ruto loved Raila the way he says he loved Raila, he could not kill the party founded by Raila,” Orengo said.

Orengo spoke on Thursday at his Kisumu home, where he hosted a delegation of Linda Mwananchi supporters and aspirants from Homa Bay and Migori counties.

He said the political development surrounding ODM had created the need for a new national political movement that would carry forward what he described as Raila’s ideals of constitutionalism, democracy and protection of citizens’ rights.

Orengo said ODM was the only truly national party founded by Raila and accused Ruto of taking advantage of the political relationship between them to undermine the party.

“We gave him a chance that, don't kill our party. But Ruto came to kill this party called ODM,” he said.

He questioned how the President could claim to have loved and respected Raila while presiding over the decline of the political party that the former opposition leader built and used as a vehicle for his presidential ambitions.

Orengo also took aim at Ruto's political history with Raila, recalling that the two were opponents in the 2017 and 2022 elections. He said Ruto had previously worked against Raila's presidential ambitions but was now being presented to the Luo community as one of Raila's political allies.

 “The person who made sure that Raila was never president of the Republic of Kenya was Ruto, because he ran away from Raila in 2017. And in 2022, instead of saying, ‘I can give this patriot an opportunity to become the president of the Republic of Kenya,’ he was there as Raila's opponent,” Orengo said.

 He said the change in political alliances following Raila's death should not erase the history of those who stood against him during his political career.

 “Raila's opponent and political enemy has been brought to us as the local community as the best friend. A person who could not sacrifice for Raila wants to sacrifice for Raila after Raila has died,” he said.

 Orengo said Raila's political legacy should instead be preserved through a new movement that would seek to provide a national alternative ahead of the 2027 elections.

 He announced that Linda Mwananchi would be transformed into a political party, saying the organisation would not be restricted to the Luo community or the Nyanza region.

 “I want to give my vow before you that Linda Mwananchi is going to transition into a political party. We know the election timelines and I want to tell you we are not going to let you down,” he said.

 Orengo said the proposed party would seek to establish itself as a national political force capable of challenging the Kenya Kwanza administration while bringing together Kenyans who share similar political ideals.

 “We will launch the party, which will be the party for all Kenyans from Kisumu to Mombasa,” he said.

 He said the party would campaign for a president who would serve the interests of the entire country rather than a particular region.

 “In 2027, we are going to elect a president for Kenya, not a president for any region,” Orengo said.

 According to the governor, the new movement would focus on defending the Constitution, protecting the Bill of Rights and ensuring that government remained accountable to citizens.

 He described Linda Mwananchi as a grassroots movement whose strength came from ordinary Kenyans rather than political mobilisation by established politicians.

 “I have never been to your village to tell you to become Linda Mwananchi. That's what is very special about Linda Mwananchi. Linda Mwananchi is organic. It is born from your spirit,” he said.

 Orengo said the movement would also seek to work with other opposition formations ahead of 2027, arguing that the opposition must unite if it is to challenge Ruto.

 “We must work with other Kenyans who have the same ideology and the same spirit to make sure that we send Ruto home. We must, as an opposition, come together,” he said.

 The governor, however, said the Luo community should not remain merely a voting bloc in national politics, arguing that its historical sacrifices entitled it to play a leading role in shaping the country's political future.

 “This community cannot be in a movement in which they are just followers. They must lead from the front. They must lead from the front as part of the great Kenyan nation,” he said.

 He promised to personally spearhead the expansion of Linda Mwananchi, saying the movement would begin its national campaign in Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu and Siaya before moving to other parts of the country.

“I accept the challenge to lead you. I accept it from my spirit, from my body and from everything I have got,” he said.

 “We are going to run all over Kenya, but we are going to begin with Homa Bay, Migori, Kisumu and Siaya to make sure that our home is safe and it is going to be part of the Kenyan nation in this journey to reclaim Kenya.”

 Orengo also criticised Ruto's Vision 2060 initiative, questioning the government's decision to focus on long-term development plans while, according to him, young Kenyans continue to face economic hardship and deaths during protests.

 “You cannot talk about a better Kenya in the year 2060 when you're in power and you're killing people,” he said.

 He said the government should first address the immediate problems facing Kenyans instead of promising a better country decades into the future.

“You cannot dream about a better Kenya in the year 2060 when Kenyans who are living today are living in hell, when you're killing our young people,” Orengo said.