Eyes on KK in Malava after IEBC sets by-election date

Last week, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) set November 27 as the date for the long-awaited seven parliamentary by-elections.

The announcement by the electoral agency triggered an all-systems-go push by candidates angling to replace the late Malulu Injendi as the next MP for Malava.

Much of the attention is, however, placed on Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi who is perceived as the political supremo in Western and whom the ruling Kenya Kwanza coalition is relying on to deliver the Malava seat. Besides Mudavadi, Higher Education Principal Secretary Beatrice Inyangala and President William Ruto’s personal assistant Farouk Kibet, too, have been visible in staking out for the Government side.

Frequent faces

Malulu died on February 17, this year after a short illness. The third-term lawmaker was re-elected in 2022 on the banner of the Amani National Congress (ANC), a party then led by Mudavadi, reason so much premium is being placed on the former Deputy Prime Minister and former Vice President.

However, ANC has since folded and merged with the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) headed by President Ruto.

Shortly after Malulu’s demise to last month, Farouk and Inyangala’ have been frequent faces in Malava stating the case for Kenya Kwanza in the countdown to the impending by-election.

However, Mudavadi took the stage mid last month and has since been holding strategic meetings at the constituency level and in his Nairobi office at the Kenya Railways headquarters.

Last month, Mudavadi presided over a women’s empowerment fundraiser in Malava where he criticised the politics of immediate former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and termed those from constituency allied to him as misguided.

Later, he held separate meetings in his office between leaders of the 29 clans from the area, officials of teachers’ unions and Members of the County Assemblies (MCAs).

Brainstorming session

Mudavadi, who is also the Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs and a former Minister for Finance, held a brainstorming session with over 4,000 teachers from Malava at Tande High School before returning to Nairobi for consultations with women leaders from the constituency.

In all those sessions, Mudavadi is accompanied by government appointees from the constituency as well as Vihiga Woman Representative Beatrice Adagala and Shinyalu MP Fred Ikana, both who are drawn from, and Inyangala.

The race to replace Malulu has intensified with contending parties seeking to outsmart each other, with much attention being placed on Mudavadi and the Kenya Kwanza coalition.

Former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malalah who is the Deputy Party Leader of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) has maintained persistent presence in the constituency to campaign for his candidate, lawyer Edgar Busiega Mwanga.

Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and his now controversy-ridden Democratic Alliance Party of Kenya (DAP-K) senior members have also visited the area once to pitch for their candidate, Seth Panyako, the vocal secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun).

The Roots Party candidate Caleb Sunguti, a management consultant and former senior lecturer at the Kenya School of Government, has consistently been on the ground for the last five months.

Unlike Sunguti who has so far staged a clean campaign devoid of high drama and insults, Malalah and Natembeya, while campaigning for their candidates, have directed their barbs at Mudavadi, Farouk and National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, all who they term as strangers in the area who should not be allowed to dictate how the people of Malava vote.

Malalah was lastly in the area on Sunday and blamed Mudavadi for seeking to impose a candidate on the locals.

Mudavadi has in his engagements called on voters in Malava to settle for a credible, morally upright and visionary leader who espouses integrity and national unity

Litmus test

His lieutenants led by former ANC national chairman and now UDA vice chairman, Kelvin Lunani, Adagala, Ikana and lawyer Nick Biketi maintain that the Malava by-election is a litmus test for Mudavadi.

Argues Lunani: “Everyone in Kenya is watching the Malava by-election keenly. The outcome of the vote will have a huge impact on Mudavadi. Malulu was Mudavadi’s MP. It would therefore be a stab in the back if Malava people were to vote in someone from another political party.”

So far, only five candidates have secured party tickets on which to run. They are Busiega, Panyako, Caleb Sunguti of Roots Party and Samuel Tdimbelwa Wesukari of UDP and Joab Manyasi of Democratic National Alliance (DNA).

Another quintet is still battling it out for the UDA ticket. They are Malulu’s son Ryan Injendi, lawyer Leonard Shimaka, retired Bungoma High School Principal Enock Andanje, Kivaywa High School Principal Simon Kagwana, and West Kabras Member of County Assembly (MCA) David Ndakwa.

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