Former Kisii Governor James Ongwae abandons Raila and Uhuru

Former Kisii Governor James Ongwae has abandoned the Uhuru Kenyatta-led outfit Azimio la Umoja which fielded Raila Odinga as its presidential candidate in August for Ruto’s Kenya Kwanza alliance

The former Governor met with President-Elect William Ruto at his official Karen residence in Nairobi on Friday.

Ongwae, who served for two terms, was an ardent supporter of Odinga, and even frustrated his deputy Joash Maangi over his loyalty to Ruto, until the tail end of his tenure when he started showing signs of detachment.

Trouble began when Odinga and his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party endorsed the Governor Simba Arati for the position at the nomination stage.

During the campaign period, Ongwae and Arati were engaged in constant disputes, with the latter accusing the former of mismanaging the county.

Odinga was forced to intervene on several occasions to quell the simmering tension, which threatened to split the party.

The antagonism between the duo escalated in July 2022 when they traded blame on who was responsible for the chaos that rocked an Azimio rally in the region that forced the police to unleash tear gas.

The move by Ongwae to ditch Azimio is a big blow to the outfit, which considers the larger Nyanza region its stronghold.