Orengo postpones Siaya trade fair following Raila’s death

Siaya Governor James Orengo addressing the media in Siaya county on 15 October 2025./FAITH MATETE

Siaya Governor James Orengo has postponed the Siaya International Trade and Investment Conference following the death of ODM leader and former Prime Minister Raila Odinga.

In a statement issued Wednesday evening, Orengo said the decision was made out of respect for the late opposition chief, who was set to be the guest of honour at the close of the four-day event on Friday, October 17.

“These circumstances dictate a review of the ongoing programme of the Siaya International Trade and Investment Conference,” the governor said.

“As such, all the plenary sessions and side events are postponed to a later date, as we join the family and the nation in mourning our departed leader. We highly regret any inconveniences caused.”

Orengo described Raila as a towering figure in Kenya’s struggle for democracy and justice, a revolutionary whose influence shaped the nation’s political evolution over five decades.

He said Raila’s death was not only a personal loss but also a devastating blow to Siaya county and the entire country.

“Words fail me to express the shock, deep sorrow and immeasurable grief at the news of the untimely passing of my brother, my friend, my party leader, a statesman and a towering figure of Kenya’s Second Liberation,” Orengo said in his message of condolence.

“The sun has set on a true patriot and a nationalist, an indomitable and resilient fighter for democracy, justice and prosperity.”

Raila, 80, died early Wednesday during a morning walk at an Ayurvedic eye hospital-cum-research centre in Koothattukulam, Ernakulam district of Kerala, India, where he had been receiving treatment.

Official reports indicated that he succumbed to cardiac failure.

The Siaya governor, a long-time ally and confidant of Raila, recounted with nostalgia the trenches he shared with the ODM leader in the fight for constitutional reforms and social justice.

“For decades, Raila and I stood shoulder-to-shoulder in the struggle for democracy, constitutionalism and justice in Kenya,” he said.

“We shared prison cells, faced exile and navigated the complex, often dangerous waters of political opposition against a repressive state.”

Orengo said the ideals that defined Raila’s political journey — the fight against corruption, the demand for free and fair elections, and the pursuit of national unity anchored on justice and equity — would continue to guide the nation.

“As we mourn, let us honour his memory not just with tributes, but by reaffirming our commitment to the values he championed,” he said.

“Raila is ingrained in the hearts of many Kenyans because of the principles he stood for. I therefore urge all Kenyans to remain vigilant and uphold his progressive ideals.”

He extended condolences to Raila’s widow Mama Ida Odinga, their children, Senator Oburu Oginga, and the extended family, describing the loss as immense and irreplaceable.

“Kenya has lost not just a politician, but a revolutionary and a visionary,” Orengo said.

“For the people of Siaya, the entire Luo Nyanza region and the nation as a whole, we have lost our patriarch, our resilience and the relentless champion of our political and economic rights.”