Natembeya: Sifuna’s homecoming will be a rally, not a coronation
By Mabonga Makhanu, July 18, 2026Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya has clarified that the upcoming homecoming ceremony for Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna at Bungoma Posta Grounds will be just a political rally and not a coronation.
This comes amid growing push and pull over whether, if it were indeed a coronation, it should instead be held in Kakamega County, being the headquarters and central point of the Western Kenya region so that all Mulembe communities can rally behind the Linda Mwananchi team leader.
The clarification was made during an event in Kanduyi on Friday, July 17, 2026, which was convened to plan and lay strategies for the high-level homecoming ceremony.
The governor stated that since Sifuna has already toured the other three Western Kenya counties with his Linda Mwananchi brigade, the organising team deemed it fit for him also to hold similar rallies in Trans Nzoia and Bungoma counties, effectively completing his political tour of the Western region.
“If there will be a coronation, it will come later, and we can agree whether it should be held in Kakamega or any other suitable venue. The upcoming event is purely a political rally,” he said.
Sifuna’s homecoming
Natembeya, who is now the chief planner of the ceremony, added that if there is to be a coronation, it will come at a later date and be held in Kakamega County or any other venue that leaders will agree upon. However, he maintained that the upcoming event is purely a political rally.
He noted that if elders and community leaders wish to bless Sifuna with prayers, they will be free to do so but emphasised that it will not be a traditional coronation ceremony where Sifuna receives the community’s final blessing before embarking on his vote-searching mission across the country.
Natembeya joins Linda Mwananchi
This comes days after Natembeya ditched the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) and aligned himself with the Sifuna-led Linda Mwananchi movement.
He has devoted himself to helping Sifuna ascend to the country’s top seat, declaring him the new flagbearer of the Mulembe nation. Natembeya has vowed to traverse all 38 constituencies across Western Kenya, rallying residents to support their son, Edwin Sifuna, in his bid for the presidency. He said the time has come for the Mulembe community to produce a national leader and secure its rightful place at the country’s decision-making table.
The latest political realignment also comes just moments after former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, who was also a member of DAP-K, officially joined the Linda Mwananchi movement, further strengthening Sifuna’s growing support in the Western Kenya region.