Siaya Governor James Orengo has once again hit out at President William Ruto's broad-based administration, accusing it of being ineffective.
Speaking in Siaya County on Wednesday, April 30, Orengo alleged a sinister plan by the government to rig the 2027 general elections by interfering with the autonomy of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (EBC).
He said that unless the electoral commission was well structured, the IEBC would not be able to fulfil its mandate of conducting free and fair elections due to external interference.
"The last free and fair election that we had was in 2002. If we are not careful, even this election that is coming is not going to be free and fair," Orengo said during the groundbreaking ceremony of the Boro Maternity facility in Central Alego.
"I am looking at it critically, even with the IEBC. The membership that is going to come out of this process, I am sure, unless they are allowed the space, Kenya is not going to have free and fair elections," he added.
According to the Governor, senior figures in Kenya, like former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, were unable to win elections due to prevalent rigging, forcing the latter to enter into what he termed as nonsensical agreements in the name of a broad-based government.
In his speech, Orengo expressed his readiness to organise demonstrations or even go back to jail to liberate the country from the shackles of bad governance.
"Unless we are prepared to fight for what is in the Constitution as a matter of right, Kenya is going to lose direction. I am ready to go back to jail, I am prepared to go back on the streets. This is not a country to be proud of," the Governor commented.
The county head also raised concerns over the integrity of the Supreme Court, alleging attempts to destabilise the independence of the judiciary.
Orengo, a close ally of Odinga and a staunch member of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), has recently been a vocal critic of the agreement between Ruto and Raila.
Despite his criticism, the former Prime Minister, a week ago, came out to defend Orengo, claiming the latter did nothing wrong by condemning Ruto's administration.
Speaking on Friday, April 25, at Kakwajwok village in Kendu Bay, Raila maintained that the ties between him and Ruto were basically on a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) basis.
