Ford Kenya party leader Dr. Moses Wetang’ula (right)and DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa share a light moment at a funeral service in Trans Nzoia last week…Photo/IP
KIMININI, Kenya (IP)
National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has renewed a familiar political pact with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, saying the trio will once again consolidate Western Kenya behind President William Ruto .
Speaking at the burial of former councillor Johnstone Barasa in Kiminini, Trans Nzoia County, Wetang’ula said unity among senior leaders was no longer optional if the “Mulembe Nation vote” was to be delivered efficiently, neatly packaged and politically useful.
With patience he says it will position the Luhya community for relevance in the 2032 succession.
In a moment that mixed diplomacy with nostalgia, Wetang’ula publicly invited former Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa — seated nearby — to join the alliance, suggesting that political harmony would improve both vote arithmetic and national bargaining power.
Wamalwa, a long-time ally turned critic of the Ruto administration, responded cautiously, acknowledging Wetang’ula’s seniority while stopping short of boarding the already moving political bus.
He maintained that while unity was desirable, it should not come at the cost of accountability, adding that Kenyans — particularly the youth — were increasingly impatient with high taxes, governance theatrics and recycled coalitions.
Wetang’ula, addressing that impatience, urged an end to confrontational politics and advised young people to engage “responsibly” on social media — a request that landed politely in a country where politics often trends before breakfast.
The renewed alliance comes as Western Kenya politics enters a noisier phase.
Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has positioned himself as a leading opposition voice in the region, arguing that long-serving political figures should step aside and allow a new generation to take the lead against President Ruto in 2027.
Natembeya’s blunt style has found an echo in ODM Secretary General Edwin Sifuna, who has emerged as one of the most vocal critics of the Kenya Kwanza administration, insisting that opposition politics must move beyond boardroom agreements and into sustained public resistance.
Meanwhile, former Health Cabinet Secretary Susan Nakhumicha used the same Kiminini platform to spotlight gaps in service delivery and signal her interest in the Trans Nzoia governorship, reminding the crowd that local politics, unlike national alliances, still requires functioning hospitals and visible results.
Political analysts say Wetang’ula’s latest move is less about surprise and more about timing — an attempt to secure Western Kenya early as President Ruto’s critics organise themselves around outspoken governors, sharp-tongued party officials and a restless youth vote.
Whether the renewed pact delivers unity or merely adds another chapter to Kenya’s long history of alliances announced at funerals remains to be seen.
