The meeting at Mbadi’s National Treasury offices is viewed as a decisive step toward a planned engagement at State House, where President William Ruto is set to host a high-profile delegation of Siaya leaders—including Governor Orengo—to discuss the county’s development agenda.
“Held discussions with Hon. CS John Mbadi on development priorities in Siaya ahead of tomorrow’s meeting with President William Ruto together with a delegation of Siaya leaders,” Orengo posted on his X account.
During Thursday’s breakfast session at State House, Nairobi, Siaya leaders are expected to present priority projects on which they want the Kenya Kwanza administration to intervene.
While the agenda is officially labelled “development,” the gathering carries unmistakable political undertones in a region long regarded as an opposition stronghold.
The State House meeting—reportedly sanctioned by opposition leader Raila Odinga—was initially slated for May 14, 2025, but was postponed amid rising tensions among Siaya’s political elite.
Sources suggest the delay stemmed from concerns that Governor Orengo might be excluded from the original talks.
Orengo, an outspoken critic of the Kenya Kwanza government, has remained at odds with some national officials despite a recent détente between Odinga’s ODM party and President Ruto’s administration.
On Sunday, May 11, 2025, Energy Cabinet Secretary Opiyo Wandayi convened a preparatory meeting with most Siaya MPs to refine their agenda ahead of the rescheduled State House visit.
Although leaders agreed to meet the President on May 14, they were later informed of the postponement amid reports of growing tensions among leaders.
The Thursday meeting now represents a renewed effort to address Siaya’s development concerns while potentially cooling political frictions within one of Kenya’s most charged counties.
