It is suspected that Governor Orengo has sidelined Gem for a reason as area MP Elisha Odhiambo is one of the rebel ODM MPs who crossed over to work with President William Ruto and Kenya Kwanza. Elisha is a known critic of Mr. Orengo whom he secretly campaigned against during the last general elections. Sources say Odhiambo and a section of his supporters campaigned for Nicholas Gumbo against Orengo in the last election, and statistics indicate that Gumbo received more votes in Gem than Orengo
Siaya Governor James Orengo finds himself between a hard place and a rock following numerous complaints from the electorate over skewed appointments of county staff. It is claimed that Mr Orengo continues to reward his cronies and political rejects from specific constituencies while sidelining those he believes are close to ODM rebel MPs from Siaya.
Last week, residents of Gem constituency, led by South Gem Ward Member of the County Assembly, Brian Anyango, alias Otuom Polo, condemned the Orengo administration for giving them a raw deal in appointments to senior positions in his government.
It is suspected that Orengo has sidelined Gem for two reasons. One, Gem MP Elisha Odhiambo, is one of the rebel MPs who crossed over to work with President William Ruto and Kenya Kwanza. Elisha is a known critic of Mr. Orengo, whom he secretly campaigned against during the last general elections. Sources say Odhiambo and a section of his supporters campaigned for Nicholas Gumbo against Orengo in the last election, and statistics indicate that Gumbo received more votes in Gem than Orengo.
Mr Orengo has since treated people from Gem with contempt and has allegedly been using his position as governor to punish them for supporting his opponent. Again, during a by-election in the South Gem ward, Odhiambo joined hands with Gumbo to campaign for an independent candidate against ODM’s candidate. Orengo had pitched a tent in South Gem campaigning, but the independent candidate Brian Chieng’ Anyango Obiero, alias Otuom Polo, garnered 3,469 votes against the ODM’s candidate Wanga who got 3,353 votes. Following the devastating defeat, Orengo is said to have vowed that he would teach the people of Gem a political lesson. It is whispered that it is for that reason that he continues to sideline them in his appointments.
Sources say that the names Mr. Orengo had forwarded to the county assembly for vetting, which were all approved, did not reflect the face of Siaya County. Among the nominees who have now been formally appointed after the county assembly approved their appointments are a former Principal Secretary, Prof. Jacqueline Adhiambo Oduol, for the positions of CECM, water, sanitation, environment, climate change, and natural resources.
A former member of the Siaya County Public Services Board, Dr. Nicholas Kut Ochogo, has been appointed to the chief officer position in the Department of Youth, gender, and Social Services. Others are Jactone Ouma Odinga (chief officer, budget and planning), Ajuol Okoth Kevin (energy and transport), Samwel Omondi Owino (chief officer, health), Judith Oyugi (chief officer, water and sanitation), Elizabeth Atieno Adongo (chief officer, agriculture, food security, livestock, and fisheries), and Michael Ombambo Oliech (chief officer, enterprise and industrial development).
Following the appointments, Gem residents now claim that Orengo is only rewarding political rejects and his allies while sidelining people from Gem. Prof. Oduol and Dr Ochogo vied for the Alego/Usonga parliamentary seat during the last general elections but were knocked out at the ODM party nomination stage.
Three of the nominees are from Alego/Usonga constituencies, two each from Ugenya and Rarieda constituencies, and one from Kisumu County. They are now appealing to Mr Orengo to ensure that appointments in the county are on merit, as he promised during the campaign period. But it is not only the Gem area which has been sidelined. Bondo MP Gideon Ochanda’s move to work with Kenya Kwanza has also caused his constituency to lose jobs. Ochanda is one of the ODM MPs who has been expelled from the party, and word from the ground is that he still enjoys overwhelming support from the voters to the chagrin of Orengo.
Initially, Bondo was to be allocated one slot for a County Executive Committee Member, which had been promised to the former Deputy Governor, Dr. James Okumbe. It is, however, not known why Orengo reneged on this agreement with the former deputy governor but instead appointed the son of Siaya Senator Jaoko Oburu to the position of partnerships and resource mobilization coordinator. In Gem, it had been anticipated that Orengo could appoint Julius Okinda to his cabinet, but Orengo ignored the request from a section of Gem elders and professionals. Okinda contested the Siaya senatorial seat against Dr. Oburu Odinga but lost.
