BY MANUEL ODENY
Political tension in Siaya county has gone a notch higher after fresh battle ground was drawn between governor James Orengo and the Odingas.
Already Orengo has been vocal against Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga and President William Ruto broad based government, tension which has spilt over to county leadership and prevented a visit by the president.
The recent tension comes after Siaya Senator Dr Oburu Oginga, along with a member of the public, Dickson Oruko Oburu, has filed a court petition seeking to block the construction of a second-hand clothes market in Bondo Town launched by the governor.
The two through their lawyer Sylvia Nyambeki, have already successfully obtained an injunction from the Siaya High Court which bars the Siaya County Government from proceeding with the development of the proposed Mitumba market.
The case, filed under a certificate of urgency before the Siaya Environment and Lands Court, was granted by the presiding judge, Justice Edda Dena.
This is only weeks after Orengo launched the construction of the facility on May 5, 2025 which aims at targeting traders selling second-hand clothes, popularly known as mitumba.
Lady Justice Edda Dena ruled on May 27, 2025, that given the urgency of the matter, the current status of parcels Bondo Township/58 and Bondo Township/59 as of May 26, 2025, must be maintained.
She further directed that no further construction or development should take place on the said parcels until the court provides further directions.
Dr. Oburu and Mr. Oruko, listed as the first and second plaintiffs, respectively, stated in their affidavits that they legally obtained a 99-year lease for the parcels, effective from July 1, 2024.
The Siaya County Government is named as the respondent in the suit, while the National Land Commission is listed as an interested party. In their claim, the plaintiffs accuse the county government of trespassing on their legally acquired land without following proper procedures.
They further assert that traders have been informally using the parcels for business operations.
The Environment and Lands Court is scheduled to issue further directions on the case on Friday, May 30, 2025.
Siaya has seen heightened political tension with rumours that current Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi is being groomed to take over from Orengo, who already has bad blood between him and his deputy William Oduol.
By launching market, Orengo has pitted the Odingas directly with members of the public, the same strategy he has employed to rump up pressure on ownership of controversial Yala Swamp which also drags the Odingas name.
At the tail end of last year, Orengo called for the cancellation of a lease agreement that bequeathed parts of Yala Swamp to a private investor.
Orengo directly asked Ruto’s government and the National Lands Commission to take a leading role in the cancellation of a lease agreement that saw a huge chunk of the Yala Swamp bequeathed to a private investor for 66 years.
Orengo has already personally met with NLC and said the deal, which sidelined the Siaya county government, so the county lose Sh70 million in revenue accrued from the lease.
According to Orengo, both the government and the National Lands Commission erred when leasing out the land while excluding the Siaya County Government who are the trustees.
“Any community land is vested in the county governments for the benefit of the communities living in the county,” said Governor Orengo adding “that is why, originally, the Yala delta lease was granted to Dominion Farms Limited by the then two county councils of Siaya and Bondo and when the counties came into being, the lease is now in the county government”.
He was speaking to the press at Audrey Golf Resort hotel in Siaya during the launch of the county physical and land use development plan.
Already Orengo has met severally with community members over the land, in a political move to directly engage members of the public in case of a political fallout ahead of 2027 general elections.
DOMINION FARM CONTROVERSY
Yala Swamp ended up on controversy after American investor, Dominion Farms Ltd Chief Executive Officer Calvin Burgess said in a 22 page statement that Odinga and his political associates of trying to extort campaign money from him.
Odinga vehemently denied the claims.
Burgess, accused Raila and politicians associated with him of frustrating his business through extortion, violence and eviction threats, claimed his troubles began when he refused to fund the Opposition leader and his Orange party.
“During this same time Raila began demanding for me to support him politically with large sums of money. I explained that the US law called “The Foreign Corrupt Practices Act” did not allow me to do this and would result in the end of the farm, my imprisonment and a $2 million (Sh207 million) fine in the US,” he said.
