Editor's Review

Governor Orengo deemed the late driver an unsung hero in Kenya's struggle for democracy.

On Thursday, July 9, Siaya Governor mourned the death of the driver who drove him to the first Saba Saba Day protests.

Orengo revealed that Mzee Julius Maina Kago passed away on July 7, 2026, on the 36th anniversary of the Saba Saba. He termed the death as poetic, yet painful.

He revealed Mzee Kago passed on at the King David Hospital in Ng’ong, aged 75. The Governor deemed the late driver an unsung hero in Kenya's struggle for democracy who put his life on the line for the country.

"He was an unsung general of Kenya’s democratic struggle. In November 1991, when the tyrannical KANU regime placed a draconian ban on free assembly, it was Mzee Kago who defied the state’s machinery of terror.

"Risking his life and livelihood, he courageously ferried the late Martin Shikuku, Masinde Muliro, Phillip Gachoka, myself, and other opposition leaders into the historic Kamukunji Grounds," Orengo added.

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A file photo of Governor James Orengo

The Siaya County Chief eulogised the late Mzee Kago as a devoted and hardworking worker who was full of resilience.

He added that he was devastated by Kago's death, given that all the other people who rode in the famous Toyota pickup had all passed on.

Orengo expressed his sincere condolences to the deceased's family and promised to keep fighting for the liberation of the country.

"To the family, friends, and comrades of Mzee Kago: please accept my most heartfelt condolences. We have lost a patriot who stood in the spotlight of danger so that Kenyans could breathe the air of freedom.

"Mzee Kago wished for nothing less than a completely liberated, fair Kenya. I promise him, and I promise you, that I will continue to fight for Kenyans to the bitter end," the tribute read in part.

The Governor was among the few leaders who turned up to the streets for this year's Saba Saba Day commemoration protests.

In his message, he questioned the opulence of several elected leaders, while Kenyans were struggling to make ends meet. 

He consequently demanded a lifestyle audit of all national leaders and an explanation of how the leaders generated the funds they dished out to voters and contributed to harambees.