The 2027 general election may not be free and fair unless Kenyans push for respect for the country’s key institutions, Siaya Governor James Orengo says.

Governor Orengo, who last month launched a stringing criticism of Kenya’s broad-based government as illegal and unconstitutional, continued with his onslaught on May 1 (Labour Day), saying the country’s institutions are on trial and it was upon Kenyans to jealously guard them from the threats by leaders bent on rendering them irrelevant.

Speaking at Sigomere and Boro health centres where he presided over the launch of construction of maternity facilities, the governor said Kenyans will have to ensure that the key democratic institutions, including the constitution, are strong enough to guarantee their rights as citizens.

“We are living in a country where the most popular man in the country for the last 20 years, Raila Odinga, cannot win an election because it is being stolen all the time, and we are forced to enter into deals and transactions in the name of broad-based government that do not make sense. I, James Orengo, am prepared to go back to jail. I’m prepared to go back to the streets. This is not a country to be proud of,” Orengo said.

He said that the country’s democratic institutions, including the constitution must be cushioned from political interference.

“If we are not careful, even the coming 2027 General Elections will not be free and fair,” he said. The veteran politician and lawyer warned that there were signs he elections might not be held.

“I am looking at it critically. Even with this IEBC, I am sure that unless they are constitutionally anchored and allowed space, Kenya is not going to have free and fair elections,” he warned.

Orengo said the youths of this country will have to come out and push for respect of key institutions, echoing the call by former President Uhuru Kenyatta that unsettled the government and elicited condemnation from President William Ruto’s allies.

You are the last line of defence in the battle to rescue the heart and soul of Africa. No one is coming to save us, and as the world turns increasingly inward, the places to seek refuge are rapidly disappearing. You have the numbers, you have the time, and you have the energy to get involved and stay involved in governance discussions until you effect the changes you wish to see,” Uhuru told a youth conference at the Makerere University, Uganda in early April, under the theme ‘Leadership with Integrity: Building Foundations for Good Governance in East Africa.

In Siaya, Orengo said that Kenyans must always put the government on its toes if they expect it to deliver. He said he will not shy away from pointing our mistakes in the country, saying that as a champion of democracy, he was ready to face the consequences of speaking the truth.

The governor was flanked by members of the county assembly, Andrew Omwende (Sigomere) and Ragen Ababa (Central Alego ward) and the county secretary, Joseph Ogutu among others.

• A Tell Media / KNA report / By Philip Onyango