Ndakwa Malava victory silences Natembeya, Khalwale and team
Last Thursday’s victory of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate David Ndakwa in the Malava parliamentary by-election comes with multiple ramifications for both his electors and the Western region as well as national politics in the countdown to the 2027 General-Election.
The win by the West Kabras Member of County Assembly (MCA) puts to a noticeable halt – albeit temporarily – the headlong advances by a political grouping headlined by Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and sub-titled by Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale, his predecessor Cleophas Malalah, Mumias East MP Peter Salasya and former Saboti MP and DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa.
Ndakwa’s pop-up as the new Member of Parliament for the largest constituency has somewhat shelved out of the way the raunchy public spectacles exhibited by the Natembeya-Khalwale axis during the by-election campaigns in Malava for the past three months.
The November 27 by-election was precipitated by the death of then MP Moses Malulu Injendi on February 17 this year after a short illness.
In 2022, Malulu was elected on the ticket of Amani National Congress (ANC), a party then led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi. Ndakwa was also elected on the banner of the same party.
However, ANC has since folded and merged with President William Ruto’s UDA.
In the by-election’s official results released on Friday morning by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), Ndakwa secured 21, 564 votes while his closest rival, Seth Panyako of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) obtained 20, 210 votes.
The other candidates in the race who went up to the ballot were John Shinachi, Wilberforce Tuvei and Nalwa Benjamin.
Others who were in the race but dropped out before election day were Edgar Busiega, Bruce Shivakale, Caleb Sunnguti, Joab Manyasi and George Ngaira.
Ndakwa had a galaxy of high-level campaigners led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, his Bungoma counterpart Ken Lusaka, Uasin Gishu senator Jackson Mandago and President William Ruto’s aide Farouk Kibet.
Others were Higher Education Principal Secretary Dr. Beatrice Inyangala, Leader of Majority in the National Assembly Kimani Ichung’wah, Shinyalu MP Dr. Fred Ikana, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, Ikolomani MP Benard Shinali, Navakholo MP Emmanuel Wangwe, Vihiga Woman Representative Dr. Beatrice Adagala and Lurambi MP Titus Khamala.
The Ndakwa group focussed their campaigns on President William Ruto’s development record, Malulu’s legacy in Malava and the virtues of patience and humility , a strategy that appears to have paid dividends in its favour.
On the other hand, the Natembeya-Khalwale group that campaigned for Panyako placed a lot of premium on insolence, with their invective mostly directed at President Ruto, Mudavadi, Wetang;ula and Farouk, a modus operandi that appears to have floundered terribly.
Opposition leaders Stephen Kalonzo Musyoka of the Wiper Democratic Front and Fred Matiang’i of Jubilee Party joined the Panyako’ team only two days to the end of the campaign period but that seemed to be too little too late.
It did not help their candidate whose courtiers had invested so much in insults and vulgarity. Panyako flopped. For the third time.
Natembeya had on numerous times proclaimed himself as the kingpin of the Mulembe Nation and face of the future of Luhyia politics.
However, his party did not win a single seat in 27 of the parliamentary and county by-election’s held on Thursday.
With the Malava by-election now in the past tense Natembeya, Malalah, Khalwale and Eugene have been left to lick their wounds in silence with coiled tails as Ruto, Mudavadi, Wetangula and Farouk bask in victory.
It remains to be seen when and how the group will re-invent itself.
