Dr Juma Mukhwana at the center in green tshirt……Photo/IP
By Alex Wekesa
KABUCHAI, Bungoma County
The Principal Secretary for Trade and Industry, Dr. Juma Mukhwana, on Saturday launched a football tournament dubbed the “Dr. Juma Mukhwana Cup”.
This is what many are calling one of the most ambitious grassroots sports initiatives ever witnessed in Kabuchai Constituency.
The event, held at St. Joseph Nalondo Boys Grounds, attracted hundreds of residents, sports enthusiasts and local leaders, all eager to witness the start of a tournament designed to nurture youth talent and unite the community through football.
The competition, featuring 20 teams drawn from every ward in Kabuchai, will run until December 31, 2025, when the grand finale will take place at Namilama Secondary School Grounds.
The winning team will receive Ksh 50,000, with runners-up and individual players also set to pocket various prizes.
“This tournament is about giving our young people a platform to shine,” Dr. Mukhwana said. “We want to promote discipline, talent, and unity among our youth.”
He revealed that professional scouts from Nairobi will attend the quarter-finals and semi-finals to identify players for potential recruitment into top-tier football leagues.
“This is not just a local competition — it’s a gateway to bigger opportunities,” he added, announcing plans to form a new team, Kabuchai Combine FC, from the best performers across the constituency.
Residents lauded the PS for his continued investment in youth empowerment and community development.
“This tournament has brought a new sense of hope,” said coach Peter Wekesa. “We feel Kabuchai is finally being recognized for its potential.”
But Is It Just About Football?
The Politics Beneath the Goalposts
While the tournament is being celebrated as a sporting milestone, political observers in Kabuchai are already reading deeper meaning into Dr. Mukhwana’s growing presence on the ground.
The constituency — long considered a Ford Kenya stronghold — is quietly gearing up for a fierce political showdown ahead of the 2027 elections.
Sources within the party suggest that Dr. Mukhwana, a former university don and technocrat, could be positioning himself to challenge for the Ford Kenya parliamentary ticket.
He is expected to battle it out for the Ford Kenya ticket with West Nalondo MCA Polycarp Wandabusi, who currently chairs Ford Kenya in Kabuchai Constituency.
The two could be on a collision course as the party seeks to reclaim its grip on local politics amid growing cracks between Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga and Ford Kenya Party Leader Moses Wetang’ula.
Insiders say Kalasinga’s fallout with Wetang’ula has left a vacuum — one that could be filled by a new favorite.
With Mukhwana’s frequent appearances at community functions and youth programs, the question lingers:
Is the Dr. Juma Mukhwana Cup just a football tournament — or the first whistle in Kabuchai’s 2027 political battle?
Either way, as the ball rolls across the dusty pitches of Kabuchai, it may also be rolling into the heart of Ford Kenya’s next big political contest.
