Siaya Senator Oburu Odinga has criticized Governor James Orengo over his remarks on the broad-based government, urging him to leave if dissatisfied.
Speaking in Migori on Sunday, May 4, Oburu expressed disappointment in Orengo’s apparent dissent, noting that ODM's decision to join the broad-based government was a collective party resolution.
"I come from Siaya, and I'm pained when Governor James Orengo stands up and says he just wants to talk the truth, what truth? He's annoyed, and I don't know with whom?"
"We are in the broad-based government, not as individuals but as a result of a resolution by the ODM party. Those who are annoyed, who think that this broad-based government is not right, they're vomiting on us from within. Why don't they get out?" he posed.
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Oburu's remarks come amid growing tensions within ODM, as some senior figures express discomfort with President William Ruto’s administration.
For instance, while speaking in Siaya on Wednesday, April 30, Orengo expressed that he was willing to organise demonstrations or go back to jail, accusing the government of being ineffective.
"Unless we are prepared to fight for what is in the Constitution as a matter of right, Kenya is going to lose direction. I am ready to go back to jail, I am prepared to go back on the streets. This is not a country to be proud of," he said.
On the other hand, Kisumu Governor Anyang’ Nyong’o has accused Ruto’s administration of undermining devolution, likening the current government's actions to the Nyayo era.
In a statement on Tuesday, April 22, Nyong’o argued that actions by the Ruto administration reflect leadership styles that predate the 2010 Constitution.
He warned that such moves threaten the goals of building a democratic and developmental state.
“The truth is that the Ruto regime has decided to go back to pre-devolution times of the Nyayo era. The 2010 constitution is a hindrance to its primitive accumulation schemes, which will affect not only devolution but the very ethos of building a national democratic and developmental state," he said.
Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna, another notable figure in ODM, has also been in record calling out Ruto's administration, pointing out what he described as self-inflicted difficulties in the Head of State’s administration.
Speaking during the funeral of Raila Odinga's bodyguard George Oduor, he drew attention to the recent Echoes of War controversy, urging the president to take control of his government.
"Like the Bishop mentioned, your job is very hard, and I agree with him because at some point I usually wonder if you get to sleep.
"However, there are some difficulties you have imposed on yourself. Like the drama we saw in Nakuru, where Butere Girls' High School students were stopped from performing, that’s a problem you have imposed on yourself," he said.
