Didmus Barasa reveals party he will use to vie for Bungoma gubernatorial seat
By Luke Oluoch, November 9, 2025Kimilili Member of Parliament (MP) Didmus Barasa has revealed that he will be contesting the Bungoma gubernatorial race on a United Democratic Alliance ticket.
Speaking in Webuye West on Saturday, November 8, 2025, Barasa exuded confidence that the party will triumph resoundingly in the forthcoming general elections.
“Today, I want to be clear that I am a delegate of the United Democratic Alliance party,” he declared.
Barasa, who is among the few candidates elected by the ruling party in the county, branded himself as a founding member of the party associated with President William Ruto.
Running on UDA
“I was among the few people who started the party, and it is the party I intend to use in my race for the governor of Bungoma,” he said.
Barasa decried that past leadership had failed to transform the county, terming the advent of his regime as governor to usher in a new leadership that will harness and exploit its potentiality.
“We have to change this country and eradicate the poverty in this region,” he added.
“I have your aspiration and share in your vision. I pray that you will rally behind my vision to transform this country,” he implored the region.
The Bungoma gubernatorial race has so far attracted many candidates. However, former Bungoma governor Wycliffe Wangamati and Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi rank among the leading frontrunners for the top county job.
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Whereas Wanyonyi enjoys the backing of the majority of the Ford Kenya MPs and politicians, Wangamati is aligned as the united opposition candidate in the contest if his association with the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) is anything to go by.
His declaration will see him test his resolve as a self-made politician in a region heavily dominated by Ford Kenya.
Defying Ford Kenya
In 2017, despite the Ford Kenya wave, Barasa contested on a Jubilee ticket and managed to defeat Wetangula’s Ford Kenya candidate, the late Suleiman Murunga, who was defending his seat.
Barasa went above the Ford Kenya wave and scooped the majority of votes.
As part of his onslaught against his challengers, Barasa has dismissed the candidacy of Wanyonyi, terming the MP’s entrance to the race as influenced by external forces.
Endorsements
“Your MP went to Nairobi, and, in unison with a few other MPs from this region, they endorsed that tourist from Nairobi. I have also come here to beg for your support,” he told the crowd during a past rally in Webuye.