Siaya governor James Orengo has revealed that the late former president Mwai Kibaki passed away without settling legal fees owed to him for representation during election petition proceedings, saying he ultimately chose to forgive the debt. Governor James Orengo reveals the late former president Mwai Kibaki died without paying his legal fees. Orengo made the disclosure on Sunday, October 4, during the unveiling of The Equitable Party (TEP) in Nairobi. Orengo’s history representing defeated candidates The veteran lawyer and politician recounted a long career appearing in court on behalf of opposition figures who contested disputed election results, naming the late Jaramogi Oginga Odinga, Kenneth Matiba, and Mwai Kibaki among his former clients. “I represented Matiba in his court, where one of the issues was that it was alleged that he was incapable of signing his own election petition. And I represented Mwai Kibaki, and I kept on telling him when he was president that he had never paid my fees and he died without paying my fees. I forgave him many times because he was a good man,” Orengo said. He described the personal toll of sitting with prominent leaders following contested elections, saying it was painful to watch experienced politicians reduced to tears after losses he believed were rigged. “I have had the misfortune of sitting with great men and great leaders after the election,” he said. Orengo said that ahead of the 2027 General Election, he is determined not to repeat the post-election court battles. He attributed his confidence to what he described as unprecedented levels of public discontent with President William Ruto.
“I have never seen in my lifetime a president who is as unpopular as President Ruto,” Orengo told the gathering, adding that he had heard one-term sentiments expressed across the country without prompting. Orengo backs Edwin Sifuna for presidency The governor also used the platform to throw his backing behind the former ODM secretary general Edwin and Nairobi senator Sifuna as a presidential contender, describing the endorsement as unchanged from a position he adopted in 2025. Governor James Orengo endorses Senator Edwin Sifuna’s presidential bid. Photo: Pauline Njoroge. Source: Facebook “I said yes last year, and I gave my reasons why I thought he would make a good president of the Republic of Kenya. I have not changed my view. I have not changed my position,” Orengo said. He went further, describing his confidence in Sifuna in unambiguous terms: “With Sifuna I have unqualified opinions. The members of parliament know this language that is fit to be the president of the republic,” he added. Orengo also called for opposition unity ahead of 2027, reiterating his longstanding position that a single presidential candidate and a single party offered the best path to defeating the incumbent, a stance he said he had maintained through previous electoral cycles.
