Orengo defends presidential bid, says rivals within Linda Mwananchi fear competition

Orengo confirmed to Citizen TV that he is in the race for the outfit's presidential nomination alongside Sifuna, who has already declared his interest in the seat.

The declaration has unsettled sections of the opposition camp, where some members argue the question of a flagbearer was settled long ago.

"I am going to run for president, which is not a crime," Orengo said. "In 2007 there was what was called the Pentagon within ODM. The five people who constituted the Pentagon were all presidential candidates."

He rejected suggestions that his entry was designed to derail Sifuna.

"I am not spoiling it, because I am committed to having one presidential candidate," he said. "Those who are raising these fears are not democrats."

The governor also disclosed that his position on the flagbearer question caused friction with fellow principals during the coalition's retreat in Limuru, Kiambu County.

"The issue of a presidential candidate was brought as an agenda, but I said it was inappropriate at that time and that it needed more consultation," he said. "Some people were unhappy about that."

Linda Mwananchi took its rally to Meru County on Sunday, where leaders sought to settle the question of who carries the coalition's presidential ticket.

Orengo has served as Siaya governor since 2022 and is among the longest serving figures in Kenya's opposition politics, with a career stretching back to the multiparty struggle of the 1990s.