Orengo, Raila embark on Supremacy battle

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Supremacy battle to take over Nyanza politics has erupted with concerned politicians promising to define combat in 2022 presidential elections.

The battle is said to be  between Opposition leader Raila Odinga against Siaya senator James Orengo, who is his his former close ally and legal adviser.

The Siaya senator Orengo has been accused bringing together MPs particularly first timers where he has asked them to oppose Raila’s position on a number of issues.

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Orengo and Raila have had issues before with the most recent one been  the controversial vote in Parliament on Uhuru’s Finance Bill that imposed an eight percent VAT on fuel and other taxes.

This came after Raila back President Uhuru Kenyatta’s decision of increased fuel taxes

The Orengo group which consists of On Orengo’s side are MPs Otiende Amolo (Rarieda), Paul Abuor (Rongo), Peter Kaluma (Homa Bay), TJ Kajwang (Ruaraka), Millie Odhiambo (Suba North), Martin Owino (Ndhiwa), Mark Nyamita (Uriri) and Women Representative Dr Pamela Odhiambo (Migori) is facing off with Johop’s group which includes ODM chairman John Mbadi (Suba South), Junet Mohamed (Suna East), Woman Representative Gladys Wanga (Homa Bay), Peter Masara (Suna West), Tom Odege (Nyatike), Jared Okello (Nyando), Woman Rep Rosa Buyu (Kisumu), Samuel Atandi (Alego Usonga) and nominated Senator Rose Nyamunga.

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The Orengo group opposed the Finance Bill in the House, despite an earlier party meeting that agreed ODM lawmakers would support it.

Soon after the acrimonious vote in Parliament, MPs Otiende Amolo, Abuor and Kaluma, among others, took to social media, saying they didn’t toe the party line but voted with their conscience.

According to Otiende Omollo, “President Uhuru’s memo on [lowering to eight per dent] the 16 per cent VAT is subterfuge and diversion. We need to reject the 16 per cent VAT and discuss other ameliorating mechanisms later. Let each MP stand up and be counted!”

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Meanwhile Raila’s spokesman, Dennis Onyango, urged Otiende to resign from ODM.

In his statement he said, “I think you should go a step further and resign from the party and seek a fresh mandate since your views are no longer consistent with those of the party. That would make you truly honourable.” if you choose to live by principles, you go whole hog.

In addition, he said, It is not conning. Taxation and budget are serious policy matters. If you don’t agree with your party on those two fundamental issues, you should not continue being in the party.”

While responding to Onyango, Otiende asked him to write to him formally requesting his resignation, and then he would do so.

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Raila, on the other hand, thanked those who stood with the party and supported the taxation Bill.

He has since explained in various forums that support for the Bill was dependent on certain conditions, including a vigorous war on corruption, repatriation of stolen public funds and property and reducing government waste.

The two ODM camps also have figured in the just-concluded Migori senatorial campaigns. The by-election is today.

Last weekend, Orengo led his team to Migori to campaign for the ODM candidate, Ochilo Ayacko.

Migori MPs kept off, except for Dr Odhiambo and Abuor.

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The problem of the two factions was discussed extensively at ODM’s Central Management Committee meeting two weeks ago. At that time Sifuna was at pains to explain that he was only opposed to the process through which the Bill passed in the House — arranging lack of quorum — and not the Bill itself.

Raila is expected an informal gathering of Luo MPs to iron out the differences but he is said to be fully aware of what is at play and who is behind it.

The Bill is said to have merely been a trigger for Orengo — who remains bitter that Raila sealed the deal with President Kenyatta without involving him and appears to be relying on junior MPs for advice.

A contest between the two preeminent Luo leaders, Raila and Orengo, has happened before.

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The first major rift was in 1994, soon after the death of Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, when a contest erupted over the leadership of Ford Kenya.

At the time of Jaramogi’s death, Orengo was the chairman of Ford Kenya and the undisputed leader of the Luo community. Raila held a junior position of deputy director of elections.

Nyatieng, as Orengo is commonly known, made no secret of his intention to take over the leadership of Ford Kenya and that of the Luo community.

In that contest, Orengo sided with Vice President Wamalwa Kijana.

Raila was later to leave Ford Kenya and formed the National Development Party, which swept the Nyanza parliamentary seats in 1997 — consigning Orengo and Anyang’ Nyong’o to the cold for five years.

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The other time was in 2002 when Raila threw his weight behind former President Mwai Kibaki.

At that time, Orengo broke ranks with Raila, ran for President and lost.

However, Orengo was later to become one of Raila’s trusted lieutenants.

Last year, he led a battery of lawyers that secured Nasa’s initial victory at the Supreme Court when, in an unprecedented decision, it nullified Uhuru’s election victory on August 8 last year.

In more recent developments, Orengo was vociferous in opposing the Raila-Uhuru cooperation pact. Orengo also defied Raila’s warning against toppling Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetang’ula as Senate Minority leader and destabilising ODM’s base in Bungoma.

Orengo went ahead and now himself is Senate Minority leader. Wetang’ula swore revenge.

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