Senator Orengo compares Oparanya to Tom Mboya as differences with Raila deepen

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Is James Orengo angling to endorse Governor Oparanya for the top seat in 2022? The Siaya Senator on Sunday morning compared Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya to the late cabinet minister and Trade Unionist Tom Moboya, despite knowing the historical differences between the Mboya and Odinga families.

Speaking at the Benedict Catholic Church Mukoye in Butere, Orengo hailed the deputy ODM leader as a hardworking leader who has greatly performed in all positions he has held since 2002 and deserved to be president.

”Wakati wa serikali ya Kibaki na Raila, yule aliyekua akipanga mendeleo ya Kenya mzima alikua ni Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya. Alikua waziri wa planning. Najua yule ambaye naweza linganisha na Oparanya, ni Thomas Joseph Mboya. Waziri wa kwanza wa Planning wakati tulipata uhuru,” the Senator said, adding , in absence of Odinga, it is the Kakamega county boss who has what it takes to run the country.

Senator Orengo, accompanied by Governor Oparanya and Rarieda MP Otiende Amollo also said the former CoG Chair was a national leader and is free to talk to other political leaders.

”Amefanya kazi na Raila Odinga bega kwa bega…Oparanya kama kiongozi wetu ako na uhuru wa kuongea na kila mtu. Kwasababu hii ni Kenya moja, na tunataka kiongozi ataleta wakenya wote pamoja. Lazima tuwe na kiongozi anayezungumza na wakenya wengine, lakini anajua kwake ni ODM,” Orengo added.

Oparanya on Wednesday joined Siaya Senator James Orengo and his troops in calling for an opening of the BBI bill to amendments, saying the clause on 70 new constituencies will divide the country. Orengo has been in a collision with ODM leader Raila Odinga over his stand on the clause, which he (Orengo) has termed as unconstitutional.

”The way I look at it, this is an issue that is going to bring problems, especially to us who are at the forefront of supporting the BBI, it is going to be very difficult for wananchi to pass BBI if this issue of constituencies is not looked at,” Oparanya.

Jaramogi Oginga Odinga and Tom Mboya had political differences dating back to a 1960 Limuru meeting which birthed KANU. Tom Mboya’s Nairobi People’s Convention Party (NPCP) and Argwings-Kodhek’s Nairobi African District Congress (NADC) had taken control of Nairobi politics and the two had outsmarted Jomo Kenyatta and Oginga Odinga in running the city’s politics.

At that time KANU and Jaramogi Oginga Odinga saw Mboya as a stooge of the Americans and the British, who was being groomed to take over power, while Jomo Kenyatta was in detention. The British had their own line-up of leaders who they wanted to take over as Kenyatta was considered ‘dangerous’ for British interests.

Later, after independence, when Jomo and Jaramogi fell out, it was Tom Mboya who was used by President Jomo Kenyatta to cut the first Vice President to size. At that time KANU was divided between socialists and home guard capitalists who had captured Jomo’s regime and betrayed the Mau Mau cause.

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