Savula Reveals How Natembeya’s ‘Tawe’ Hype Died
Kakamega Deputy Governor Ayub Savula has sensationally claimed that the once popular Tawe Movement spearheaded by Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya is dead as a dodo.
Savula who is also the vice-coordinator of President William Ruto’s Re-election Co-ordinating Team in Western Kenya, says that the Tawe hype was an inflated balloon that burst into smithereens at the Malava by-election on November 27 last year.
“There is nothing like Tawe Movement in Western Kenya today. That one died and was buried during the Malava by-election. It was hot air. It is now in past tense. Natembeya is no longer a factor in the politics of the Mulembe Nation at the moment,” stated Savula during an interview on NTV’s Fixing The Nation morning talk-show.
Savula was referring to the November 27, 2025 by-election in Malava where former West Kabras MCA David Ndakwa of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) was elected the new MP.
Ndakwa floored trade unionist Seth Panyako who had contested on the ticket of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), a party headed by former Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa and Natembeya as his deputy.
The Malava by-election was occasioned by the death of then MP Malulu Injendi in February 17 last year.
Ndakwa and Panyako, the secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) were the main contenders in a race that comprised five other candidates.
During the campaigns, Natembeya proclaimed himself as the new political supremo of the Mulembe Nation and was using the Malava by-election as his launching pad to that position with the aim of relegating old hand Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula, the Prime Cabinet Secretary and National Assembly Speaker respectively, to the back burner.
Ndakwa may go into history as the man who stopped Natembeya in the attempts to proclaim himself as the kingpin of the region and denigrate the experienced political leadership that stepped on the scene long before him.
Ahead of the by-election, Natembeya sold himself as the next most important political product from the Luhyia community and demeaned both Mudavadi and Wetang’ula as valueless spent forces.
Mudavadi and Wetang’ula completely ignored Natembeya’s confrontational push by not responding to his outbursts, leaving Savula and others in the Kenya Kwanza to do the spade work.
On his part, Ndakwa time and again reiterated that he would not stoop to mudslinging and divisive politics in the same fashion as Natembeya and his associates who included Eugene, Kakamega senator Dr Boni Khalwale, his predecessor Cleophas Malalah, former Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi, medic Dr. Brian Lishenga and Mumias East MP Peter Salasya.
On polling day, it was UDA’s Ndakwa who carried the day to silence Natembeya.
Since then, Natembeya has become less visible and less talkative in public. His fairytale seems to have hit a wall, joining the long list of lament-driven leaders from the Opposition fold and fighting to defend his county seat from an assault staged former Kiminini MP Dr. Chris Wamalwa.
In his KBC interview, Savula dismissed Natembeya as a non-starter whose impact on Western politics had fizzled out as quickly as it had sprung up.
“The Mulembe Nation is solidly behind President William Ruto. After the passing away of former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the entire region has regrouped behind Ruto. Natembeya and his Tawe group died in Malava. We shall not allow them to resurrect,” he argued.
