“ODM Being Driven Into A Luo Party!” – Orengo Warns Of UDA Deal In 2027
Siaya governor James Orengo has cautioned that if ODM works with President William Ruto in 2027, it risks becoming a regional party rather than a national party.
In an interview aired on Monday, December 29, the governor stated that ODM founder Raila Odinga worked hard to transform it into the national party it is today after realizing that regional parties could not meet Kenyans’ expectations.
The governor claimed that attempting to ethnicize the party would result in the party losing credibility and stature, citing what he called a civil war within the party.
“ODM is found more or less in every region. That’s what Raila did. He tried to build a national party, which is ODM,” he noted.
James Orengo: What Raila did, out of the realisation that a regional party could not answer the demands of Kenyans, was to strive to build a national party, which is ODM.
— NTV Kenya (@ntvkenya) December 29, 2025
I see an attempt to try and drive ODM to become a regional party.
If we choose to work with UDA, ODM will… pic.twitter.com/n6f301a6kl
“I see an attempt to try and drive it to purely a Luo party. If we choose to work with UDA, ODM is going to be a small party,” Orengo added.
“It will be pushed back to a regional or Luo Nyanza party, which it is not. If we are not careful, it will be driven in that direction.”
He also stated that if the party enters negotiations with UDA, ODM, as the more popular party, will have a greater say than UDA.
He asserted that the reports that some party executives were planning to auction off the party were true. Despite threatening to reveal their identities, he refused to name them.
In recent days, the two groups inside the party have been accusing each other of attempting to sell the party to President Ruto and Uhuru Kenyatta.
The governor’s comments come amid internal debate within the party over whether to support Ruto in 2027, the United Opposition, or possibly a presidential candidate.
This is after Ruto calls ODM to come to coalition terms with his party so as to form a government in 2027.
Orengo’s claims came after Suna East member of parliament Junet Mohammed warned any party member against speaking on behalf of ODM.
The Governor noted that only the party leader’s words were final and would be taken seriously.
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Orengo claims that ODM could likely become a regional party if it goes into a coalition with Ruto’s party, which now intensifies wrangles within the party.
This comes as some party members push for the removal of Edwin Sifuna as secretary general for allegedly disrespecting Odinga Oburu.
Governor James Orengo: Let us not kill political parties. Watu wa ODM, msifanye makosa ya kumezwa. We need a strong ODM — not controlled by anyone in power, but guided by the laws of the land. pic.twitter.com/EeX1s7lsYu
— K24TV (@K24Tv) November 6, 2025
Currently, ODM is under a broad-based arrangement with President Ruto, an arrangement that could extend to after the elections in 2027.
Orengo and his faction, though, have dismissed future arrangements with Ruto.
“ODM Being Driven Into A Luo Party!” – Orengo Warns Of UDA Deal In 2027
