Gen. Jeje Odongo says to decide on 2026 bid by September

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Orungo County MP and foreign affairs minister Gen. Jeje Odongo has kept supporters in suspense following his absence from the recent NRM primaries, which saw Teddy Anyuk Osire emerge as the party’s flag bearer.

Just a day after the primaries, Gen. Odongo made a surprise appearance in the county, moving in a convoy of vehicles and boda bodas through various sub-counties. While his motive was not immediately clear, public speculation suggested he might return to the race as an Independent candidate.

On Monday, July 21, as he concluded his “tour” in Ogongora and Akeriau sub-counties, New Vision caught up with him for an exclusive interview about his political future in Orungo.

Some of the supporters of General Jeje Odongo outside his home waiting for him. (Photo by Godfrey Ojore)

Gen. Odongo explained that his recent activities were part of a special tour to thank residents for conducting peaceful elections and to review the progress of his development projects.

He stated that he had initially planned to retire after two terms in Parliament to focus on farming.

“I wanted to keep that promise and that is why I did not offer myself during the NRM primaries again in fulfilment of the promise I made to this community of mine,” Gen. Odongo said.

However, he revealed that after the primaries, many of his supporters, including elders, youth and women, had asked him to reconsider his decision.

“Elders, youth and women have come to see me, and they are saying, can you come back and represent us one more time. I want to be very honest with you, I have listened, interacted with these communities, but I have not yet made up my mind because I want to be absolutely sure that this is a common, genuine concern by the community,” Gen. Odongo said.

He further claimed that residents had raised concerns over alleged irregularities in the NRM primaries, including bribery, intimidation, and the involvement of external forces, which they say influenced the outcome.

“Once we have finished those consultations, I will then be able to make my own decision based on those concerns, so at this material time, there is no decision as to what we should do in the future.”

“However, time is such that I cannot postpone that decision indefinitely, so by September, at least I must have made a decision as far as the concerns that had been raised with me by the community of Orungo,” Gen. Odongo said.

Asked about the NRM party’s position on Independent candidates, he clarified that the party discourages but does not outright ban those who lost in the primaries from running independently.

He also revealed that he had called Anyuk, the NRM flag bearer, to congratulate her on her win.

Gen. Odongo said he has delivered 75% of the planned services to his community, citing the opening of community roads, extension of electricity to all sub-counties, and support for the education sector through the provision of printing equipment for examinations.

Outside his residence, hundreds of supporters had gathered to escort him to his next stops in Ogongora and Akeriau. Among them was Jane Achen, who said: “This is not a mere tour but a campaign, and as a voter, I pledge to spend my energy looking for votes for Gen. Odongo, who brought for us a county, electricity and peace.”

Rashid Esanyu, the vice chairperson of Akeriau, Gen. Odongo’s home area, alleged that the primaries were marred by voter intimidation: “I saved some foreigners from being beaten and their vehicle nearly burnt. They told me that they were brought in by a candidate to intimidate voters so that they can not vote for that candidate,” Esanyu said, without naming the candidate in question.

Orungo County was carved out of Amuria and remains the smaller of the two, with just seven sub-counties compared to Amuria’s eleven.

Since its creation, Orungo has been represented by Gen. Odongo in Parliament. Should he accept the call to contest again, he is likely to do so as an Independent candidate.

Meanwhile, his colleague, works state minister and NRM chairperson for Amuria district, Musa Ecweru, lost his primary bid to secondary school teacher Samuel Ediau, who defeated him with a margin of 10,000 votes.