Kileleshwa Ward MCA Robert Alai has publicly criticised Siaya Governor James Orengo, highlighting what he says are long-standing limitations in Orengo’s leadership within the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Alai made the remarks on X on Tuesday, framing them around historical decisions by ODM leader Raila Odinga.
In his post, Alai noted that Raila Odinga repeatedly entrusted lawyer Paul Mwangi with legal and strategic responsibilities rather than Orengo.
He referenced Mwangi’s role in leading NASA and Azimio legal teams during the 2017 and 2022 elections, as well as his involvement in crafting the National Dialogue Committee (NADCO) report.
Alai also cited instances where Raila assigned key party roles to other figures.
For example, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o managed ODM affairs during Odinga’s tenure at the African Union Commission, and Mwangi was chosen to negotiate the memorandum of understanding (MoU) between ODM and the United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
Alai suggested these choices indicated a lack of trust in Orengo’s reliability.
“Raila Odinga consistently preferred others for these tasks,” Alai wrote, adding that Orengo had been excluded from the ODM Central Committee.
He concluded his post by questioning Orengo’s capacity to lead effectively, stating that party followers should consider the reasons behind Raila’s past decisions.
Governor Orengo, a long-time critic of the broad-based government arrangement, has not responded directly to Alai’s claims.
In the past, he has maintained that ODM should retain its independence to provide checks and balances over the ruling coalition.
The remarks come amid ongoing internal discussions within ODM about the party’s role in the Kenya Kwanza government framework.
Raila Odinga has previously stated that ODM accommodates differing perspectives on engagement with the government, although formal party responses to recent comments by Alai have not been issued.