James Orengo breaks silence on joining Ruto in India
Siaya Governor James Orengo’s unexpected participation alongside President William Ruto during an official visit to India has ignited political discussions, given his role as a key ally of Raila Odinga in the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya coalition.
The development comes in the wake of Mr. Odinga’s accusations against President Ruto for attempting to sway governors aligned with Azimio.
Governor Orengo, known as one of Mr. Odinga’s most trusted allies, embarked on the India visit representing the Lake Region Economic Bloc (LREB) following a fundraiser in Gem attended by Wiper Democratic Movement Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Mr. Odinga’s wife, Ida.
Governor Orengo took to his official social media accounts to share the outcomes of his meeting with the Indian Government delegation, revealing the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU).
Orengo clarified that he led an LREB delegation and later briefed President Ruto on the MoU’s outcomes.
In his statement, Governor Orengo highlighted that he updated President Ruto on the MoUs signed by LREB with various Indian government ministries and departments.
The agreements focus on establishing a Solar Energy Park with a 280MW capacity, distributing between 10-50MW to each of the 14 LREB counties.
Another MoU aims to extend the Standard Gauge Railway (SGR) from Naivasha to the Malaba corridor, concentrating on creating an interlinking railway network connecting the 14 LREB counties, including Kisumu, Siaya, Migori, Homa Bay, Kisii, Nyamira, Kakamega, Bungoma, Busia, Vihiga, Trans Nzoia, Bomet, Nandi, and Kericho.
“I led a delegation from Lake Region Economic Block (LREB) including Governors Stephen Sang of Nandi and Dr. Hillary Barchok (Bomet) to appraise President William Ruto on the MOUs LREB has signed with Indian government ministries and departments ahead of a meeting between President Ruto and Prime Minister Narendra Modi of India.
The MOUs by LREB are one to establish a Solar Energy Park with a capacity of 280MW with each of the 14 counties getting between 10-50MW while the second one seeks to extend the SGR from Naivasha to Malaba corridor but at its core is interlinking railway network that connects the 14 LREB counties. President Ruto endorsed both project concepts for further discussions with the government of India,” he said.