In Kenya’s endless political theatre, few partnerships have endured like that of Raila Odinga and James Aggrey Orengo.
As the country mourns its fallen statesman, the internet has flooded with throwback images of Baba in his element, smiling, dancing, sometimes holding a glass too confidently, and always, somewhere in the frame, stands Orengo.
Long before memes immortalized their camaraderie, Orengo had already earned his place in the trenches of Raila’s revolution. The two first bonded in the crucible of the multiparty struggle, when opposing the system could land you in a cell or worse.
Orengo, then a fiery young lawyer, became one of the loudest voices for reform. His path briefly diverged when he contested the presidency alone in 2002, a move that nearly exiled him from Raila’s inner circle.
In the early 2000s, after years of fighting for democracy together, Orengo broke ranks with Raila and the opposition bloc.
He chose to run for president in the 2002 election under the SDP (Social Democratic Party) banner instead of supporting Mwai Kibaki’s NARC coalition, the alliance that Raila and most reformists had joined.
That move was seen as political betrayal. Raila’s allies considered Orengo a sellout, and he was politically isolated for several years. He lost his parliamentary seat and faded from the national stage.
But by 2007, he had reconciled with Raila, rejoined ODM, and became one of his closest allies again. From then on, he was a fixture in Raila’s circle, eventually rising to Senator and later Governor of Siaya.
Yet history has a way of circling back. When ODM rose from the ashes of the Rainbow movement, Orengo returned, older, wiser, loyal to a fault.
Their chemistry was personal. In private moments, when Raila let the mask slip and enjoyed a drink or a laugh, Orengo was always there, dark glasses on, the quiet shadow beside the storm.
Those who know him say Orengo mourned loudly when news of Raila’s death broke, not as a governor or politician, but as a friend stripped of the man who defined his journey.
For decades, Raila had the crowd, but Orengo had his back. In Kenya’s political folklore, theirs was a brotherhood that outlasted power, scandal, and time.
