Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya made a bold return to the public stage on Monday, May 26, 2025, rallying support across Western Kenya in a charged homecoming tour following his recent arrest and arraignment.

The vocal county boss, who was accompanied by Roots Party leader George Wajackoyah, addressed supporters in a series of stopovers as he made his way to Kitale. Crowds gathered in Luanda, Chavakali, Kakamega, and other towns along the route to welcome him back.

Speaking without fear

Speaking during a roadside rally in Kakamega, Natembeya lashed out at what he termed a deliberate attempt to silence voices from the Western region, particularly over the collapse of Mumias and Nzoia sugar companies.

“They are killing Nzoia, they already killed Mumias, and now they don’t want us to speak,” Natembeya said.

“But I will not be afraid. The Constitution of Kenya protects my right to speak out, and I will keep doing so.”

His remarks come days after he was charged in court on May 20, 2025, with corruption-related offences. He pleaded not guilty and was released on a Ksh500,000 cash bail. He was also barred from accessing his office for 60 days.

Tawe Movement agenda

Despite the legal cloud, Natembeya remains defiant. Riding high on his Tawe Movement, he has vowed to push on with his agenda of economic empowerment and social justice in the region. He told supporters the movement’s mission is to fight poverty, unemployment, and hunger.

“It can’t be that a community with so many educated people still struggles to secure government jobs,” he added, decrying what he called systematic marginalization.

“When they are recruiting police, others arrive in lorries while we are carried in wheelbarrows.”

Earlier in the day, the governor landed at Kisumu International Airport to a rousing welcome, kicking off his road tour which includes rallies in Bungoma, Chwele, Kimilili, Kamukuywa, and Kiminini before culminating in Kitale.

This marks Natembeya’s first public tour in his home county since his legal troubles began. His final rally in Kitale is expected to draw opposition leaders and focus on unity, spirituality, and charting a new political direction for the region.

Natembeya is the second high-ranking DAP-K official to be arrested within a week, amid growing political tension and rallies that have at times turned chaotic—most recently with police lobbing teargas at a DCP rally in Kakamega on May 24.