Kenya Insights

Tag: Odoyo Owidi

  • Kenya Kwanza Defender Odoyo Owidi Fired in Sweeping Changes to State Agencies

    Kenya Kwanza Defender Odoyo Owidi Fired in Sweeping Changes to State Agencies

    Prominent Kenya Kwanza defender Odoyo Owidi has been removed from his position as the Non-Executive Chairperson of the Board of Directors of the Lake Victoria South Water Works Development Agency.

    The announcement came through a gazette notice issued by Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary Eric Muriithi, who appointed Daniel Omino as Owidi’s replacement for a three-year term.

    “The appointment of Odoyo Owidi is revoked,” stated the official gazette notice, bringing an abrupt end to Owidi’s tenure at the agency.

    Owidi, a frequent guest on national television stations where he robustly defended the government, was among the early Luo Nyanza leaders who publicly supported President William Ruto ahead of the 2022 general election.

    His dismissal comes as a surprise to many political observers, given his visible loyalty to the current administration.

    Prior to his support for Kenya Kwanza, Owidi was a member of the opposition Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party but resigned before the last election, citing what he described as “a lack of transparency” within the party. He had also previously served as Chair of the Lake Basin Development Authority.

    This removal is part of a broader series of changes across multiple state agencies announced by various Cabinet Secretaries. Energy and Petroleum CS Opiyo Wandayi appointed Martha Nyangwaria to the Board of Directors of the Energy and Petroleum Regulatory Authority and Anne Michura to the Board of the Nuclear Power and Energy Agency, both for three-year terms effective May 16, 2025.

    Education Cabinet Secretary Julius Migosi appointed Eugene Masombo to the Board of Trustees for the President’s Award, while Agriculture and Livestock Development CS Mutahi Kagwe appointed Wario Yattani to the Board of the Kenya Animal Genetics Resource Centre and re-appointed George Odhiambo Oballa to the same board.

    Additional appointments include Francis Njoroge to the Kenya Marine and Fisheries Research Institute by Blue Economy CS Hassan Joho, and Leah Manyarkiy, Christopher Matseshe Naicca, and Dominic Salvio Kariuki Wambugu to the Board of Directors of the Information and Communications Technology Authority by Information and Communication CS William. The latter appointments coincided with the revocation of Annette Mutuku, Alfred Ngeno, and Michael Njogu Wachira from their positions.

    Newly appointed Gender and Culture CS Hanna Cheptumo made her first appointment by naming Addullahi Nur Sheikh to the National Heroes Council, while East African Community CS Beatrice Askul Jattani appointed Godana to the National Drought Management Authority.

    The wide-ranging changes across multiple government agencies signal what appears to be a strategic realignment within the Kenya Kwanza administration as it approaches the midpoint of its first term in office.​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​​

  • [VIDEO]: Explosive Claims – Former LBDA Chair Alleges Late MP Were Involved in Past Murder

    [VIDEO]: Explosive Claims – Former LBDA Chair Alleges Late MP Were Involved in Past Murder

    Odoyo Owidi, former Chairperson of the Lake Basin Development Authority, has made explosive allegations against the late MP Charles Ong’ondo Were, claiming to possess video evidence of the politician committing murder.

    During a recent interview with a local podcast, Owidi alleged he has footage showing the late Kasipul Constituency MP stabbing and disemboweling a man before walking away from the scene.

    “Niko na video ya the late Ongondo Were akitoa mtu intestines na kisu na akaenda ni kama hajafanya kitu (I have a video of Ong’ondo Were removing someone’s intestines with a knife and walking away as if nothing happened),” Owidi claimed in the interview, adding that Were “used to walk with 9 assassins” and concluding with the stark statement, “may he rot in hell.”

    According to Owidi’s account, police sought Were following the alleged incident, forcing the MP to go into hiding.

    When authorities publicly announced they were searching for him, Were reportedly reappeared and provided a statement.

    However, in what Owidi describes as a miscarriage of justice, Were was never charged.

    Instead, Owidi claims Were’s driver was arrested and charged with the murder.

    These allegations come less than two weeks after Charles Ong’ondo Were was shot and killed on April 30, 2025, near the City Mortuary roundabout in Nairobi.

    Were was serving his second term as Kasipul Constituency MP in Homa Bay County at the time of his death, having first been elected to Parliament on an ODM ticket in 2017 and securing re-election in 2022.

    Were, who hailed from the Kanabok area, was a graduate of Mt. Kenya University with a Bachelor’s Degree and a Diploma in Business Management.

    Police have so far arrested 11 suspects in connection with Were’s murder as investigations continue. The National Police Service has not yet responded to Owidi’s allegations.

    The timing and nature of these allegations have raised questions about potential motives behind both the claims and the MP’s recent killing.