Orengo Tops List of Impactful Governors Second Year Running

Top three Impactful Governors Dr Eric Kipkoech Mutai (center), Dr Irungu Kangata (left) and Senior Counsel James Aggrey Bob Orengo (right). Collage | DalanewsKE

Last year the same poll carried out by reputable pollster affiliated to Government-run Kenya Broadcasting Corporation – Kenya Track, placed the Siaya Governor at second position.

This year Orengo is third at 70.5 percent performance index rating with Muranga’s Irungu Kangata who topped the list last year coming in second at 72.2 with newly placed maverick Kericho Governor Eric Kipkoech Mutai topping the list at 82.4 percent.

Others who performed well were Kisii’s Simba Arati and Homabay’s Gladys Wanga who came in fourth and fifth respectively.

While political pundits have field-days shredding such polls as sponsored, one cannot deny that radical changes carried out by Governor Orengo in Siaya are bearing fruit.

Points of stark departure are the Siaya County Referral Hospital where neglect, corruption and ineptitude reigned paramount for years. Today, from the functional help desk to the strict receipting system one can see that the Orengo administration is determined to streamline service delivery at Siaya’s main referral facility.

Of course there are areas that still need sprucing up such as the X-ray department and the hygiene of the prenatal wards.

Although he is a pillar in the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party, Orengo graciously congratulated Kisumu Governor Prof. Peter Anyang Nyong’o on his appointment as Acting Party Leader. Photo | Diblo Governor’s Press Unit

Another remarkable improvement is in garbage collection within the CBD. Siaya town has the scantiest of facilities a metropolis should have, yet keeping the town clean was a challenge for the previous administrations. Perhaps now the county can focus on streamlining the remuneration process for the hardworking garbage collectors and their friends the “kanjo.”

Apart from landmark achievements such as the near-completion 20,000-seater Siaya Stadium and the Siriwo Rice Mill, Orengo appears to have his eyes set on elevating Siaya to truly cosmopolitan metropolis.

Already with the support of Kenya Investment Authority the county is gearing up to host the Siaya International Investment Conference (SIICO) next year.

Florence Were (CEO) Kenya Investment Authority exchanges a charter with Siaya Governor James Aggrey Bob Orengo in readiness to host an international convention next year. Photo | Diblo Governor’s Press Unit

For a person who has been in politics for over four decades now, Senior Counsel Orengo is struggling to put Siaya at par with his international ideals while critics focus on parochial village politics.