Orengo accuses 4 ODM officials of selling party to Ruto, cites private meetings

Speaking during an interview on Citizen TV’s JKLive, Orengo, who is aligned with the Linda Mwananchi faction, faulted the Linda Ground officials for making key decisions after seeking the 'approval' from the Head of State, hence deepening tensions within the party. 

These include ODM Chairperson Gladys Wanga, Suna East MP Junet Mohamed, and Governors Simba Arati and Abdulswamad Nassir, whom he accused of convening a meeting to alter the party’s leadership shortly after the death of Raila Odinga.

"The willing sellers are a cabal of ODM officials. When they were making changes to ODM leadership when Raila’s body was still in India, in that meeting there was Gladys Wanga, Junet Mohamed, Governor Arati and Governor Nassir from Mombasa. I can predict that they couldn’t be sitting with a stranger, Ruto, making decisions of the party if he has not bought into the party," Orengo stated. 

The Governor directly accused President Ruto of backing and financing ODM activities, pointing to meetings held at State House and other venues.

"President Ruto is the willing buyer. It is not a secret. That is how ODM can hold meetings in State House and President Ruto presides. Also in his private residence in Kilgoris, and he is the one funding the party. Despite the fact the party is owed Ksh.12 billion by the government, he is funding even the meeting held in Mombasa."

On his relationship with ODM leader Oburu Oginga, Orengo insisted that the dispute is about adherence to party rules.

"I don’t have beef with Oburu Oginga, it is not a personal thing. What we are saying is that ODM must live true to its founding principles and it also must live by the Constitution that says when a death occurs of a party leader, one of the three deputy party leaders would become the interim party leader until the elections are held. That did not happen. But because we cannot have a vacuum, I am the de facto party leader of ODM, and we have a movement within ODM called Linda Mwananchi," he noted.

He defended his decision to declare himself the party’s de facto leader, citing what he termed as a vacuum in the party leadership that necessitates him to step up and steer the party ahead of the 2027 polls. 

"It is not illegal to declare myself the leader of ODM because we are in very extraordinary circumstances. Raila dies, and a cabal in State House chooses who the next leader of ODM is, a cabal that is presided over by a party that does not belong to ODM. ODM cannot continue being leaderless," he remarked. 

"I did not just declare, everywhere we went in those mega rallies, people were saying I was the one to lead the party out of this confusion and make ODM be what it should be."