Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has indicated his intention to side with Senator James Orengo as wrangles with the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party continues to deepen.
The two leaders, in the presence of Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo held a closed door meeting on Sunday, May 9, after attending a church service in Butere.
A report by Nation on Monday indicated that Amollo and Orengo took chopper rides to Butere for the meeting that took place after the three attended a church service.
At the service held in St Benedict Catholic Church, Mukoye, the trio revealed that they still supported the party but accused a number of high-ranking ODM officials of misleading its leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.
They asked the former premier to be "wary of people who want to ruin the party's chances of forming the next government."
After the meeting, they proceeded to the home of the governor in Mabole, Kakamega County, where they held the meeting that last for two hours.
"We are in ODM by faith and Mr Odinga is our unequivocal leader. However, we won't allow a few people to deceive him," stated Otiende Amollo.
The three have also openly defied Raila for his support of the addition of 70 new constituencies which are expected to expand the already stretched wage bill.
Amollo voted to pass the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) bill just days after he was ousted by the party as the deputy chair of the powerful Justice and Legal Affairs Committee (JLAC).
Talks had also been rife that Orengo, who serves as the Leader of Minority in the Senate, was on the firing line over his defiance of the party leader.
Raila, in a statement, however, quickly quashed the rumours noting that the party had no plans to replace Orengo.
"Following changes effected on Wednesday to the representation of the Orange Democratic Movement in the Justice and Legal Affairs Committee of the National Assembly, there have been unfounded and widespread speculation that the Party is about to change its Minority leadership in the Senate."
“We wish to clarify that Rt. Hon Raila Odinga, the ODM Party Leader and the Orange Democratic Movement have no plans to replace Senator James Orengo as the Leader of Minority in the Senate," read the statement in part.
