Orengo Declares ODM Will Not Join Ruto’s UDA at Busia Rally

Siaya Governor James Orengo has issued a defiant warning against any attempt to merge or align ODM with President William Ruto’s government, as internal party tensions over 2027 strategy spill into the open.

Speaking at a packed rally in Busia County during the Linda Mwananchi Tour, Orengo joined forces with fellow ODM leaders including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino to deliver a clear message: the Orange Democratic Movement must remain an independent opposition force.

“Nobody can dare auction the ODM party,” Orengo declared to roaring crowds, switching between Kiswahili and English. “We will not be swallowed by any other party.”

What stood out at the Busia rally was the nature of the crowd itself, thousands of supporters turned out with little to no orange-branded merchandise, suggesting an organic groundswell rather than a choreographed political event.

The turnout appeared to validate claims by Orengo’s faction that they represent the authentic voice of ODM’s grassroots base.

The opposition wing of ODM, led by Sifuna, Orengo, Babu Owino, Saboti MP Caleb Amisi, Vihiga Senator Godfrey Osotsi, Caroli Omondi, Joshua Kimilu, and Obadiah Barongo, positions itself as the custodian of the party’s founding principles against what they describe as an opportunistic faction that has been co-opted by the Ruto administration.

“ODM Must Field a Presidential Candidate”

Orengo was unequivocal about the party’s 2027 strategy: ODM must field its own presidential candidate and cannot join forces with UDA.

“ODM cannot join UDA, it will not happen,” he insisted.

“No one will force us to join a government that we do not agree with. ODM must field a presidential candidate.”

His remarks drew a sharp line between his faction and ODM members who have taken positions in Ruto’s government or suggested closer cooperation with Kenya Kwanza.

Orengo and his allies argue that such arrangements represent opportunism rather than principled politics, and that they dilute ODM’s identity as an opposition force.

The rally comes amid a bitter internal struggle over the party’s future direction.

While some ODM figures have embraced working arrangements with the government, Orengo’s wing accuses them of abandoning the party’s core values in pursuit of political expediency.

By casting the debate as one between ODM’s “real owners” and “founding members” versus what they characterize as a compromised wing, Orengo’s faction is making a play not just for control of party strategy but for its very soul.

The Linda Mwananchi Tour appears designed to demonstrate that significant grassroots support exists for maintaining ODM’s independence, and that the party’s base will resist any attempt to sell out to the current administration as Kenya moves toward the 2027 General Election.