Siaya Governor James Orengo has moved to lead the Liberal Democratic Party, presenting it as his political vehicle and taking over from former party head Fred Ogolla, according to a report.

Orengo addressed LDP delegates in Kwale County on October 26, 2026, positioning the party as a platform for an opposition coalition. At Golini in the same county over the weekend, he called on opposition parties, including Kalonzo Musyoka’s Wiper, Ukombozi and the Jubilee grouping associated with Matiang’i, to unite behind a single candidate to challenge President William Ruto.

The leadership change has not gone uncontested. Ogolla, a professor and political activist who previously led LDP, has questioned whether Orengo is a registered member of the party.

In a statement on October 6, Ogolla told party members that the move to replace him with Orengo amounted to a betrayal. He challenged Orengo to disclose the date he resigned from the Orange Democratic Movement or produce a party membership number as proof of his standing in LDP.

Ogolla also criticised the party’s decision to join the Ukombozi-Linda Mwananchi coalition, arguing that the alignment risked undermining LDP’s long-term objectives. He accused Secretary General Dennis Kodhe of siding with the political direction associated with Orengo.

Ogolla warned that the dispute could escalate when the party convenes its National Delegates Conference, though no date for that meeting has been given.

LDP is one of Kenya’s older political parties. It was associated with Raila Odinga in 2002, when it joined the National Rainbow Coalition (NARC) in the campaign that ended KANU’s decades in power.

Beyond the internal contest, Orengo’s stated aim is broader: assembling opposition parties behind one flag-bearer for 2027. Whether LDP can serve as that rallying point remains tied to the unresolved questions over his membership and the party’s internal divisions.