Governor Orengo Clarifies Remarks on Alleged Call for Nationwide Protests
Siaya Governor James Orengo has come out to address claims that he called for nationwide protests, insisting that his words were misunderstood and taken out of context.
Speaking on Wednesday, November 19, during an interview on Ramogi TV, Orengo explained that he never asked Kenyans to take to the streets.
Instead, he said his earlier remarks were simply a caution to the government about respecting its responsibilities.
Orengo emphasised that his statements were misinterpreted, explaining that he meant Kenyans only have the right to protest if the government fails to fulfil its duties. According to him, it was unfair that he was singled out when other ODM leaders made similar comments during the same event.
“Some people think that when I said we can go for protests, I meant that I personally wanted to go to the streets. Even Babu Owino spoke in the same line,” Orengo noted. “I did not mean that we would just wake up and go.
What I meant was that if important issues are not being addressed properly, the option of peaceful, organised protests is still available to Kenyans.”
His clarification comes just a few days after he made tough remarks during ODM’s 20th Anniversary celebration in Mombasa County on Friday, November 14.
During that event, Orengo stated that Kenyans were ready to return to the streets if the government continued ignoring their concerns.
“If ODM is strong and stands for the free country Raila Odinga always fought for, then we must stand firm everywhere. If you are afraid, don’t bring fear to us.
We are prepared to go back to the streets. I, James Orengo, am ready to go back to the streets,” he declared at the time.
Embakasi East MP Babu Owino also shared similar sentiments during the same event, warning that he would mobilise nationwide protests if the cost of living continues to rise.
However, the remarks by Orengo and Owino have sparked mixed reactions across the country. Some Kenyans supported their stance, while others felt the statements were unnecessary and could stir tension.
Senior government officials also expressed concern, including Treasury Cabinet Secretary John Mbadi, who said the renewed calls for protests could harm ODM’s image and reopen old political wounds from previous struggles for justice.
Mbadi warned that constant threats of protests—especially from members of the ODM party—might slow down the party’s progress and bring back painful memories from earlier political battles.
This latest clarification by Governor Orengo appears aimed at calming public debate while reaffirming citizens’ constitutional right to protest when necessary, but within peaceful and well-organised limits.
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