Oduol declares bid for Siaya governorship, to face off with his boss Orengo

Siaya deputy governor William Oduol launches gubernatorial bid, pits himself against boss James Orengo 

Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol has declared his intention to challenge his immediate boss Governor James Orengo for the Siaya governorship in next year’s general election.

The move sets up an early and rare face-off between a sitting governor and his deputy. 

Oduol, who is seeking the seat on an ODM ticket, announced his bid at his Kadengo home in Alego Usonga constituency, where clergy from independent and small churches endorsed him.

Oduol said he will first subject himself to ODM nominations before facing candidates from other political parties in the general election. 

“I have officially declared my candidacy for Governor of Siaya county on an ODM ticket. I am presenting myself for party nominations and if there is anyone who wishes to compete with me within ODM, I am ready,” he said. 

The deputy governor said his consultations with church leaders were deliberate.

“Today, I decided to invite independent and small churches because I needed spiritual nourishment and their blessings before I officially go out to seek the governorship of Siaya county,” he said.

Oduol used the occasion to reflect on the county’s current development blueprint, saying the manifesto guiding Siaya county was largely his own creation during the previous election cycle.

He said while the manifesto had promised transformative change, much of it had not been fully implemented, denying residents development gains.

“The manifesto we have in Siaya county was largely mine. I developed it, but unfortunately, it has not been implemented,” he said.

 The deputy governor said his bid is anchored on reviving what he termed the Siaya dream, centred on a nine-point development agenda aimed at improving service delivery and inclusive growth across the county.

“I am taking this opportunity to ask the people of Siaya county to elect me next year so that the Siaya dream can be actualised and the nine-point agenda I developed can finally be implemented,” Oduol said.

He urged residents to rally behind his leadership, arguing that his experience within the county executive places him in a unique position to understand governance gaps and deliver on stalled promises.

Relationship between Oduol and Orengo deteriorated less than two years into their joint administration, following Oduol’s allegations of corruption within the county. 

The dispute escalated into an impeachment motion against the deputy governor at the county assembly, a move that was later overturned by the Senate. 

Since the failed impeachment, Oduol has kept away from his county office, citing security concerns, even as the political rift between the two leaders widened. 

“My differences with the governor are not personal but ideological. We started this journey with unity of purpose, but somewhere along the way, things changed,” he said.

Oduol said the turning point came in November 2022 when, citing his background in finance, he began noticing what he termed as irregular withdrawals from the county’s imprest account. 

“I routinely review county finances. Towards the end of November, I observed unusually large and unexplained imprest withdrawals,” he said, adding that efforts to seek clarification from county finance officials did not yield satisfactory answers.

Oduol’s declaration is expected to reshape Siaya’s succession politics, with ODM primaries now emerging as the central battleground that would give flagbearers an advantage over their competitors.