‪Orengo Fires County Executive Makamu Wa Makamu After Attending Linda Ground Rally and Accusing Him of Chang’aa Addiction

KISUMU/SIAYA, February 26, 2026 — James Orengo has cracked the whip on a county officer who publicly accused him of excessive chang’aa drinking and plunged into a no-holds-barred political tirade at a rival ODM faction rally.

The County Government of Siaya has suspended Richard Omondi Odhiambo, popularly known as Makamu Wa Makamu, from his position as County Information Management Officer over what it termed unsavoury, derogatory and disrespectful remarks directed at the governor.

In a suspension letter dated February 25 and signed by Chief Officer for Governance, Administration and ICT Walter Okello, the county cited gross misconduct, insubordination and breaches of the Public Officer Ethics Act, the Public Service Disciplinary Manual and the Employment Act.

Omondi has been ordered to immediately hand over county property and explain within seven days why further disciplinary action, including dismissal, should not be taken against him.

The explosive incident unfolded on February 25 at a Linda Ground faction rally in Kisumu East’s Ragumo area.

Omondi, a vocal grassroots mobiliser who has built a reputation for his fiery Dholuo speeches, mounted the podium and launched into an attack that quickly spread across social media platforms.

In one widely circulated clip, he is heard declaring in Dholuo that what is troubling Governor Orengo is too much chang’aa. The remarks drew gasps from sections of the crowd and ignited a political storm within hours.

Witnesses and online users also pointed to other parts of his address in which he criticised senior ODM figures, including Secretary General Edwin Sifuna and Embakasi East MP Babu Owino.

In the charged speech, he allegedly accused some leaders of marrying outside the Luo community and claimed such unions had stalled development in Luo strongholds, comments that many observers described as divisive and inflammatory.

The rally was organised by the Linda Ground faction associated with Oburu Oginga and Gladys Wanga.

The faction is positioning itself as the defender of ODM’s traditional support base ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The parallel Linda Mwananchi mobilisation, linked to Sifuna and Babu Owino and recently attended by Governor Orengo at events in western Kenya, has exposed deep cracks within the Orange party’s Nyanza bastion.

Siaya Governor James Orengo

Omondi’s presence at a rival faction event while serving in the Siaya county administration was widely interpreted as a brazen act of political defiance.

Online reactions were swift and sharply divided.

Supporters of the governor praised the suspension as decisive leadership, arguing that public officers must uphold decorum and neutrality.

Critics countered that the county had long embraced Omondi’s streetwise mobilisation style and questioned why his political theatrics were tolerated until they turned against his boss.

Omondi, a trained plumber from the Kisumu Ugunja corridor who rose from the Manyatta area to become a sought-after rally speaker, previously campaigned for Orengo during past political contests.

His appointment to an ICT-related county role had in the past triggered murmurs among residents who viewed him primarily as a political mobiliser rather than a technocrat.

The suspension letter specifically references the February 25 Kisumu rally and cites violations including Section 16 of the Public Officer Ethics Act and provisions of the Public Service Human Resource Policies.

By Wednesday morning, Omondi had not issued a formal statement.

Allies on social media described the suspension as political persecution and hinted at a looming showdown that could escalate the already simmering factional rivalry.

Governor Orengo’s office had not released a separate statement by press time.

The swift disciplinary action, however, signals a zero tolerance approach to internal dissent that spills into personal attacks, particularly as ODM factions jostle for dominance in the run up to 2027.

With the seven day show cause window now ticking, the embattled officer faces a stark choice: mount a formal defence within the public service framework or transform the disciplinary process into yet another combustible political spectacle in Nyanza’s intensifying succession wars.