‘Siblings’ throw out brotherhood, fight for the blood and soul of Westlands

As the clock quickly ticks towards the 2027 General Election, a vicious fight pitying ‘brothers’ from Mulembe Nation is brewing in the Capital, Nairobi.

As the long serving Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi prepares to vacate the seat, a host of aspirants, have shown interest to replace him in what is now becoming one of the highly watched contests in the politics of Nairobi County.

Mr Wanyonyi has had a tight grip on the constituency’s politics for close to 20 years, weaving intricate networks that spilled across the city, almost propelling him to the seat of City Governor, which he was unfortunately denied by an agreement within the Azimio Coalition.

Westlands Constituency, previously Nairobi North-West, has attracted some of the big and influential names in Kenya’s politics including the late Samuel Kivuitu (1983), Njoroge Mungai (1988), Amin Walji (1992), Fred Gumo (1994 – 2013) and currently Tim Wanyonyi.

Since the days of Gumo, the constituency has been dominated by the members of the Luhya community and it has come to be known as the gate of Luhyas to Nairobi.

In the coming election, aspirants from the Luhya community, have dominated the list of aspirants.

They include the immediate former constituency manager and key strategist of Tim Wanyonyi, Bernard Mwonyonyo who is eyeing the ODM ticket.

Mwonyoyo steps into the ring as a frontrunner due to his closeness to the outgoing MP, networks woven around the MP and his easy-to-mingle trait which most of the aspirants may lack.

“Westlands is my home. I am Westlands. I am working for Westlands and will continue working for my Westlands people. I know where Westlands is headed and how to get there. We will be the prise of Nairobi, together,” he told this writer.

Former Law Society of Kenya (LSK) President Nelson Havi has also thrown his hat in the ring for a second time on a Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket.

Kitisuru MCA Alvin Olando Palapala, who hails from Lusiola, Eregi, has also declared his bid to run for the MP’s seat.

Former Nairobi Town Clerk Philip Kisia, who has for long salivated for the seat, is also in the race eyeing the ODM ticket as well.

The son of former MP Fred Gumo, who is currently serving in the cabinet of Governor Johnson Sakaja, Mike Gumo, is also in the race.

The latest entrant in the race is Moses Budamba Mudavadi, the first-born-son of Prime Cabinet Secretary (PCS) Musalia Mudavadi.

Budamba made the surprise announcement this week and was quick to note that he was not being influenced by his father insisting that it was his independent decision.

“This is my personal decision, and I have not been influenced or persuaded by anyone. I want to see the people of Westlands benefit from the real touch of services at the grassroots level. My focus is on the welfare of the people and development for Westlands,” he was quoted as having said.

Others in the race are Betty Adera, Patron of Young Women’s Forum (YWF) in Africa, youth leader Alex Matere and Eng Runalo. 

Westlands Constituency is one of its kind in the City as it is the home to some of the most affluent estates where the who-is-who in the country resides including Runda, Muthaiga, Kitisuru, Spring Valley, Kyuna, Loresho, Riverside Drive, Nyari Estate and Lake View.

It is also home to densely populated estates like Kangemi, Deep Sea, Githogoro, Mji wa Huruma, Kibagare, Ndumbuini and Kaptagat.

The Luhyas, Kikuyus, Luos, Kambas and the Indian communities are the most dominant in the constituency which as of the last elections, had a total of 160, 739 registered voters in 242 polling stations, according to records by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Being a cosmopolitan constituency, voting patterns tend to lean towards tribe and ethnicity, business, diplomacy and political maneuverers.

There are five Wards including Parklands/Highridge with 37, 144 registered voters, Kangemi (32,551), Mountain View (32,259), Karura (29,548) and Kitisuru with 29,237 registered voters.

At the same time, Westlands is home of major installations and landmarks like the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), United Nations Habitat, The University of Nairobi, Safaricom, Communications Authority (CA), Kenya School of Government (KSG), Kempinski Hotel, Sankara Hotel, St Mary’s School, International Livestock Research Institute (ILRI) and the United Nations Office at Nairobi (UNON) among other international and national installations.

Westlands is also home to several embassies and high commissions and international agencies making it one of the most attractive constituencies in the City.

For the Mulembe siblings, it is a fight for the soul and blood of the Westlands Constituency as their big brother Tim Wanyonyi packs his bags to try his luck in his home county of Bungoma.