Philip Onyango
24 April 2008
Nairobi — In the early 1990s during the clamour for re-introduction of multi party politics in Kenya, James Aggrey Orengo and members of the security forces, were sworn foes.
Any rumour the new minister for Lands was to visit a corner of the country would see the adrenaline of the police rise with scores of them reaching for either a club, a tear gas canister or any other riot dispersal gear available to them.
On his part, Orengo perfected the art of playing hide-and- seek with the police who would, at times, be made to keep vigil at the announced public rally venue under the scorching sun. As the cops got weary, the fiery legislator would sneak in and quickly deliver his message before an equally fatigued police commander would issue orders to disperse crowd.
Police college
Interestingly, much as the police and Orengo loathed each other, they share one thing in common - they are products of the famous Kiganjo police college.
Though the boys in blue were there to be hardened to handle criminals, Orengo was at Kiganjo at a tender age for basic education and perhaps it is his early childhood education at the police academy that shaped him to what he is now.
And, unknown to many, Mr Orengo also worked in the civil service, in the ministry he now heads, though briefly.
Son of a former inspector of police, Orengo was born in February, 1950 to Mr and Mrs Apollo Stephen Orengo.
"My father was a contemporary of former senior policemen such as Peter Okola and Michael Arrum, both of who were trained by the colonial administrators in Britain for top positions as the country prepared for independence," the minister says.
He adds that unlike his contemporaries, the senior Orengo, who was a classmate of the doyen of opposition politics Jaramogi Oginga Odinga at Maseno School, was a "rebel within the police force" due to his friendship with the pro-independence heroes.
The MP says that one of his father's best friends was Argwings Kodhek.
The minister had his pre-primary education at Nairobi before going to Kiganjo in 1957.
The following year, he joined Ramunde primary school before proceeding to Ralak primary school, both in Ugenya.
French course
In 1961, the minister joined Ambira Intermediate School and left in 1964. He joined Alliance High School in 1965 for both "0" and "A" level studies after which he joined the University of Madagascar in 1971 for a six-month French course.
The same year, September 1971, he joined the University of Nairobi for a law degree course and graduated in 1976.
Orengo later proceeded to the Kenya School of Law for a diploma course before being enrolled as an advocate of the High Court of Kenya.
He was employed in the Ministry of Lands and Settlement in 1976 as an assistant secretary, but resigned after six months to go into private practice. He ventured into politics in 1980 when he was elected the MP for Ugenya.
Orengo did not, however, finish the term and had to flee to Tanzania in 1982.
In 1983, he was extradited together with the plotters of the 1982 coup, Hezekiah Ochuka and others, in exchange for Tanzanian dissidents, who had allegedly tried to topple the country's first president Mwalimu Julius Nyerere.
On landing back to Kenya, Orengo and Ochuka were taken straight to Kamiti Maximum Security Prison where he was incarcerated for seven months.
When he left Kamiti, he joined hands with other pro-reform advocates to agitate for the re-introduction of multi-party politics in the country.
He was to be re-elected to Parliament in 1992 during the first multi-party elections. He successfully defended the seat in 1997. In 2002, he was bundled out by his brother in-law, Archbishop Stephen Ondiek - the man who boasts of introducing him to Parliamentary politics in 1980.
The legislator says that his priority is to ensure better use of resources allocated to his constituency. He promises to use the Constituency Development Fund, bursary fund, roads fund and other funds in a transparent and accountable manner, so that the constituents can get full benefits of the same.
Mr Orengo says his major concern is provision of safe and clean water to the residents of Ugenya, adding that doing so would result in improved health for the people and a reduction of resources and time spent treating diseases.
"We want to initiate projects in consultation with our people so that they own them," he says.
Other areas of concern, he says, are health where he intends to work with the community and relevant government departments to ensure that the available health facilities are upgraded and stocked with the necessary drugs.
The minister says rural electrification will also have to be given priority and that public institutions such as schools, market centres and health facilities will have to be supplied with power.
"Electricity plays a big role in creating self-employment and I will strive to ensure that all parts of the constituency are covered," he says, adding that as a leader, he will have to engage the community and experts to come up with a way of ensuring that the constituents are empowered to make a living.
Reach markets
He says that whereas most of his constituents rely on subsistence agriculture for a living, a way must be found to encourage those living in areas with potential to venture into commercial agriculture to do so.
"We have areas where rice can be grown and we must encourage this together with other ventures, such as fish farming, horticulture and many more," he says.
Other areas that he intends to give priority in his five-year tenure are roads and infrastructure development, he says, adding that, major roads in the constituency will have to be improved in order to open up Ugenya and make it easier for farmers to reach markets.
Orengo maintains that he will continue performing his role as an effective voice of his constituents and Kenyans at large in Parliament.
"I want to be an effective voice of my constituents in Parliament and other forums to articulate their needs and desires," he says. (KNA)
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There is no doubt that Orengo has the credibility to put into practice all that he talked about in that interview. I can only encourage him to involve and consult his constituents in matters pertaining to development. As one of his constituents working in South Africa, I know for sure that his constituents have never been involved in developement. I am happy that Ugenya people have at long last realised that for Ondiek to lead Ugenya people was stooping abit too low!Just a reminder to my MP that councillors do not have job description and therefore if they are to… [Read Full Text]