ODM’s Oburu Pitches Camp In Siaya To Unseat Governor Orengo
Dr. Oburu Odinga, the leader of the ODM party, is wooing David Ochieng, the leader of the Movement for Democracy and Growth (MDG) party.
Oburu wants Ochieng to fold his party and join the ODM in order to fulfil his Siaya gubernatorial goal.
He offered Ochieng the entire party’s backing to ensure that he comfortably captured the Siaya governor’s seat during the general 2027 elections.
“I want to ask David Ochieng to come and join ODM. We will receive him with two hands and ensure he becomes the governor of Siaya,” Oburu remarked.
“I do not know what is so sweet in MDG that Ochieng cannot leave it for ODM to be the governor of Siaya.”
The ODM party leader’s charm offensive against the MDG leader comes amid confusion in the ODM camp about who is best prepared to succeed the existing governor, James Orengo, as head of Siaya county government.
President Ruto and Oburu Oginga splash Sh3 million and Sh1 m respectively at a teachers’ fundraiser in Alego-Usonga, Siaya County pic.twitter.com/MMQ9gWGrL0— NairobiNews.co.ke (@NairobiNews254) June 27, 2026
The county’s political arithmetic and regional balancing are proving to be a headache for the ODM party, with the hindsight that the electorate from Ugenya constituency would prefer one of their own to replace Orengo.
This is after the pioneer Siaya governor, Cornel Rasanga, who hails from Alego Usonga constituency, has already served for two terms between 2013 and 2022.
Orengo, who hails from Ugenya, is currently serving his first term and has fallen out of favour with the ODM party and is on record saying he will be vying for the presidency in 2027.
Kenya Sugar Board chair Eng Nicolas Gumbo and speaker George Okode of the ODM party, who both hail from Rarieda constituency, have expressed interest in the seat.
The duo are seen as the frontrunners to replace Governor Orengo, a move that may affect ODM party popularity in Ugenya.
TRANSLATION:
“Siaya is the heartbeat of ODM, Orengo is still loitering and wandering around but he will return to ODM!”~Oburu Oginga pic.twitter.com/r7xiVjYCkK— Lightcast TV Kenya (@Lightcasttvke) June 27, 2026
To appease the electorate in Ugenya constituency, high-profile names, including that of Energy CS Opiyo Wandayi, who hails from Ugunja constituency, which was annexed from Ugenya, have emerged as an antidote to the political matrix.
Meanwhile, the other option being highly considered by ODM is Ugenya MP David Ochieng, albeit his party affiliation.
However, Oburu’s attempts to woo Ochieng into the ODM fold appear to contradict and rattle the political equation after he publicly threw his weight behind Gumbo’s 2027 gubernatorial bid earlier in the year.
Speaking at a fund drive in Siaya town, organised by KUPPET, Oburu assured the electorate that the ODM party will not favour any candidate during nominations.
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The Senator added that the party will only give tickets to candidates who have been fairly nominated by the people.
“This time around, I will not let anyone hang on my coat,” Oburu told potential aspirants in the coming polls.
“You will not get any assistance from anybody at the headquarters. You have to go to the people and seek their mandate.”
Oburu also extended an olive branch to those who had decamped from the party following previous sham nominations to rejoin the party under his new leadership.
The event was attended by CS Wandayi, who told politicians from the region who are not part of the team supporting a broad-based arrangement to forget any elective posts in next year’s elections.
MDG leader David Ochieng, who attended the event, however, remained adamant over the overtures, clinging to his earlier resolve to contest for the seat through his own party ticket.
ODM’s Oburu Pitches Camp In Siaya To Unseat Governor Orengo
