Siaya Senator James Orengo is deemed the second most popular leader in Luo Nyanza, after opposition boss Raila Odinga.
The top lawyer earned respect among Odinga's supporters and allies after leading the team of advocates that successfully petitioned the Supreme Court to quash President Uhuru Kenyatta's August 8 re-election.
The Senator is also said to be the brain behind most of the former Premier's political moves.
However, what many don't know is that there was a time the two parted ways.
In 2002, Orengo defied the opposition supremo's call for all his allies to rally behind retired President Mwai Kibaki under the popular ''Kibaki Tosha'' campaign.
Kibaki was running for the top post against Daniel Moi on a National Rainbow Coalition (Narc) ticket, something Orengo was against and decided to go for the same post on a Social Democratic Party (SDP) ticket in protest.
According to him, Kibaki was ''an outsider'' (a non-liberation crusader) and would take Moi's dictatorial rule to the next level.
Coming at a time when presidential candidates also ran for parliamentary seats, Orengo also wanted to defend his Ugenya parliamentary position.
With Odinga having already positioned himself as the ultimate leader in the Luo Nyanza region, and the area's political determinant, Orengo could not stand the hurricane.
Odinga's popularity and disapproval of his candidature saw Orengo lose the Ugenya seat that he had first occupied in 1980 to Stephen Ondiek.
He, also failed in his presidential bid, managing only 0.4% of the cast votes, with Kibaki proceeding to clinch the post.
This prompted him to re-join Odinga's camp in 2007 following his fallout with the retired President, under the Orange Democratic Party.
With Odinga's support this time, Orengo re-clinched his parliamentary seat before upgrading to the Siaya senatorial post in 2013.