James Orengo

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James Orengo is a lawyer and former presidential candidate in Kenya. He comes from Ugenya constituency of Siaya District; he was educated at Ambira Primary School and the Alliance High School. He is law graduate of the University of Nairobi where he was the student body president in his final year. He graduated in 1979. James Orengo is well known for his fight against unjust rule. He has spent a good number of years in detention and is viewed by many young upcoming politicians as a role model. Orengo was among the young turks who brought about the what can be considered as the second liberation, when he, Kijana Wamwala, Kiraitu Murungi, Paul Muite and a bunch of old guards like Jaramogi, Masinde and Shikuku formed the formidable Forum for the Restoration of Democracy, a vehicle that nearly(thanks on KANU's side, to the disunity amongst FORD Luminaries) pushed KANU out of power. Orengo ran for presidency in 2002 for the Social Democratic Party, but finished fourth with just 0.4% of the votes. His party lost all of its parliamentary places, as many SDP:s leading figures had joined the NARC coalition. Orengo has been formerly an MP for FORD-Kenya. He is a founding-member of Muungano wa Mageuzi (Movement for Change), a cross party lobby group.

He is popularly known in Ugenya with such nicknames as Ajim, Wuod Masiro, Wuod Nyamayanga. He is probably the most arrested politician in Kenya's history, thanks to his agitation for democratic reforms during the Moi regime in Kenya.