Siaya Senator James Orengo has caused anxiety after it emerged that he had reportedly paid nomination fees for both Senate and gubernatorial positions.
Orengo, who is one of the closest allies to ODM leader Raila Odinga, has been noncommittal on which seat he will go for despite pressure from aspirants who are vying for the two positions in Siaya.
In the past two years, the Siaya Senator had shown an indication that he would be going for the gubernatorial seat in this year’s General Election.
The veteran politician has, however, gone silent on his campaigns and even his close allies are unsure of his next move.
“I understand that he paid both fees for the Senate and governor positions,” Otieno Alur, a close ally and a parliamentary aspirant in Ugunja stated.
Alur has further revealed that Orengo had called a meeting between his close campaigners where they agreed the senator would announce his gubernatorial bid on December 26, 2016. The announcement never came to be.
In January, Orengo, during the burial of his friend – the late South Africa-based scholar Prof Rok Ajulu in Bondo – declined to make a stand on the seat he would go for despite pressure from local leaders and from the media.
The Siaya Governor’s position has already attracted close allies to the ODM leader including the incumbent Cornell Rasanga and Rarieda MP Nicholas Gumbo.
Teams of both Rasanga and Gumbo have been anxious over the possible entry of Orengo due to the politician’s support on the ground and his close relationship with the Odingas.
