Opposition melts down in western after Malava poll thrashing

In a twinkling, the previously vocal, radical, fire-spitting, dare-devil, thunderous and chest-thumbing leadership of the United Opposition in Western Kenya has gone off the radar.

In less than one month since the outcome of the Malava parliamentary by-election on November 27, the United Opposition’s leading lights in Western Kenya have eaten humble pie, coiled their tails and elected muteness as the perfect modus operandi.

Former Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa, outspoken Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale, his predecessor Cleophas Malalah, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya and former Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi have all embraced silence since failing to propel their candidate Seth Ambusini Panyako to the helm of Malava’s political leadership following the death of area MP on February 17 this year.

Panyako, the fiery secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) was the compromise candidate of the United Opposition on the banner of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), an outfit led by the fiercely feuding Wamalwa and Natembeya as Party Leader and Deputy Party Leader respectively.

Lawyer Edgar Busiega Mwanga of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) who was the leading Opposition candidate was forced to pull out of the race in favour of Panyako, leaving Joab Manyasi as the other credible challenger in the race.

However, at an event witnessed by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in Kakamega town, Manyasi withdrew from the contest with less than a week to polling day and declared his support for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate David Ndakwa.

Manyasi who had been vying on the banner of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA) cited lack of logistical and physical support from the party’s leadership which he accused of having abandoned him to carry out the campaigns alone.

During the campaigns, the key Opposition campaigners made it clear that their aim was to neutralise the influence of Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula in the Mulembe Nation by ensuring that Panyako’ won with a landslide and thereby locking out President William Ruto from the politics of the Luhyia community.

Natembeya repeatedly asked Malava voters not to let him down by electing Panyako’ otherwise he would have no place to hide out of shame.

He, Khalwale and Malalah accused Mudavadi and Wetang’ula of all manner of failings, blaming them for the sluggish development in Western Kenya.

However, when the ballots were counted it UDA’s David Ndakwa who won the contest, beating Panyako’ with over 1,000 votes.

In the first week after the elections were announced, the key United Opposition leaders from the Mulembe Nation held three press conferences in Nairobi in the company of party leaders of the umbrella outfit where they lamented alleged electoral malpractices that they claimed allowed Ndakwa to win.

Within the same week, the top UDA party organs moved to remove Khalwale as the Majority Whip in the Senate and replaced him with Bungoma senator Wafula Wakoli.

Since Khalwale’s ouster, the Opposition leadership in Western has remained missing in action.
It remains to be seen when and how its previously outspoken front lane agitators will resuscitate their vim and rebrand their politics.