James Aggrey Bob Orengo is a Kenyan politician, lawyer and human rights activist. He is the current governor of Siaya County. Orengo was born on 22nd February 1951 in his home village in Kasipul Kabondo, Homabay County. He set a record for being the youngest elected MP in Kenya at the age of 29. He was elected in Ugenya Constituency under the KANU party ticket.
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Quick facts about James Aggrey Bob Orengo
- Place of birth: Kasipul Kabondo
- Date of birth: 22nd February 1951
- Age: 71 (as of 2022)
- Nationality: Kenyan
- Wife: Betty Kaari Murungi.
- Children: six (Bob Orengo, Micheal Orengo, Zeni Orengo, Steven Orengo, Josephine Orengo, Lynette Orengo)
- Father: Apolo Stefano Olunga Orengo
- Mother: Josfina Atieno Olunga Orengo
- Occupation: Politician and lawyer
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James Orengo Education
Orengo’s education journey started at Ambira primary school in 1954 and finished in 1964. He later proceeded to Alliance High School in 1965 and completed it in 1970.
He joined the University of Nairobi in 1971 where he took a bachelor’s Degree in Law. Orengo graduated from the University of Nairobi in 1974 with lower second-class honors in his Law Degree. He later joined the Kenya school of law and managed to pass the exams after several failed attempts.
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Career journey of Orengo
Activism
Orengo has been for the most part of his youthful life been an activist. It majorly began in his schooling years back at the university of Nairobi where he was a student leader. He led his fellow students in demonstrations against issues that he felt were out of place both at the university and national levels. Orengo’s activism journey was not a walk in the park. He once had to flee the country to Tanzania, Zimbabwe, and Uganda due to the inhibitory KANU regime.
James was among other public figures like Raila Odinga who opposed the single-party regime. He was among those in the proposition for multiparty democracy, free fair, and credible elections, and a new constitution.
In the 1982 attempted coup, he was deported back to the country with other Kenya Air force servicemen who tried to oust President Moi, in exchange for Tanzanian soldiers who were also part of an attempted coup in 1964 against president Julias Nyerere. He spent time in Kamiti and Naivasha’s maximum prison. He narrated how they were tortured and mistreated in the prisons.
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Political Career
His career in politics started when he was elected MP for Ugenya Constituency under the KANU party ticket becoming the youngest MP to be elected in Kenya at 29 years. Moreover, Orengo was one of the founding fathers of the Forum for the Restoration of Democracy (FORD). He was re-elected MP in the 1992 and 1997 subsequent elections under the FORD-Kenya party ticket. His ambitions took him to vie for the presidency in the 2002 general elections on a Social Democratic Party ticket but lost to Mwai Kibaki.
In the 2007 general elections, Orengo made his way back to parliament as the MP for Ugenya Constituency. He served as one of the spokes-person for ODM after the 2007 post-election violence to settle things out.
He served as the Minister for lands in the coalition government. In 2013 he was elected as the senator for Siaya County and was re-elected in 2017.
He represented NASA in the 2017 election dispute in the supreme court that led to nullification of the elections and the re-election of President Kenyatta. Furthermore, he was chosen as minority leader in the senate to replace Moses Wetangula in 2018.
He was elected governor in the 2022 general elections under the ODM party which is part of the Azimio la Umoja one Coalition.
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James Aggrey Bob Orengo parents and Family
James Orengo is the son of Apolo Stefano Olunga Orengo and Josfina Atieno Olunga Orengo. His father was a senior police chief. Not much is known about his siblings. Therefore, details are not in public.
James Orengo Wife and children
Orengo is married to Betty Kaari Murungi.
Together they have six children namely, Bob Orengo, Micheal Orengo, Zeni Orengo, Steven Orengo, Josephine Orengo, Lynette Orengo.
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James Aggrey Bob Orengo Net Worth
Orengo’s net worth is estimated to be around ksh.100-200 million with a majority of his income coming from his political and law career.