“Even my campaigns could have been very hard, and I know the big role Baba played in me being a member of parliament. He supported me by not only endorsing me but also financially,” Jalang’o said.
“One day Baba told us to plan something, and he said he would come and grace it to support us in the elections. He gave me Sh5 million,” Jalang’o said, adding that without Mr Odinga’s support, winning the parliamentary seat would have been a big challenge.
During the interview, Jalang’o recounted how tough the campaigns were and Mr Odinga’s support proved crucial.
“It was fiery, it is not easy to beat an incumbent MP with the resources and everything,” he said.
Jalang’o has since fallen out of favour with Mr Odinga. He is among the five ‘rebel’ legislators who were recently expelled by the party for pledging support for President William Ruto.
Apart from Jalang’o, the other legislators who were expelled by the party are Elisha Odhiambo (Gem), Caroli Omondi (Suba South), Gideon Ochanda (Bondo) and Kisumu Senator Prof Tom Ojienda.
The party asked the legislators to resign and seek a fresh mandate from other political parties but the expulsion of these legislators was later stopped by the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal.
However, Jalang’o maintains that he hasn’t done anything wrong and is still loyal to the party.
“Baba knows very well that Jalang’o is his son. Baba loves me so much, but the truth is, when politics takes over, even love and loyalty can be challenged. Politics is a game of chance, a snowball,” he said.
Despite his expulsion, the Lang’ata MP has said he will continue working with President Ruto.
