Wamalwa: I am ready to field another candidate to challenge Natembeya
By Mabonga Makhanu, July 24, 2026Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa has declared that he is ready to field another candidate in the 2027 Trans Nzoia gubernatorial race should Governor George Natembeya officially leave the party.
Speaking during an interview with a local radio station on Friday, July 24, 2026, the outspoken former defence cabinet secretary dismissed claims that his deputy party leader had already ditched DAP-K, insisting that Natembeya remains a member of the party.
Wamalwa challenged the Trans Nzoia governor to formally resign if he had indeed decided to leave, saying the party had not received any official communication from him announcing the end of his membership.
“If he wants to leave, he should do it lawfully by resigning from the party. Once he does that, as the party leader, I will begin looking for another candidate to challenge him in the 2027 gubernatorial election,” Wamalwa said.
He maintained that every politician has the democratic right to join a political party of their choice but emphasised that such a move must follow the proper legal procedures.
Wamalwa’s remarks come just days after Governor Natembeya publicly announced that he had ended his association with DAP-K.
According to Natembeya, he had previously urged Wamalwa to hand over the party leadership to him to allow it to transform from what he described as a regional outfit into a national political party. However, he claimed that Wamalwa rejected the proposal, prompting him to chart his own political path outside DAP-K.
The governor subsequently declared that he had aligned himself with Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s Linda Mwananchi movement and was waiting for Sifuna to unveil his political party before officially joining it.
Natembeya also took a swipe at DAP-K, claiming that the party had been reduced to a shell of its former self and that most of its influential members had already left.
Meanwhile, Wamalwa has intensified DAP-K activities following his fallout with Natembeya. In recent weeks, he has been holding meetings with various party aspirants as part of efforts to strengthen the party ahead of the 2027 general election.
Wamalwa Kapkory meeting
The DAP-K leader was recently seen meeting Trans Nzoia Deputy Governor Philomena Kapkory, who has also been reported to have fallen out with Natembeya.
The meeting took place during an aspirants’ forum held in the county, further fuelling speculation that Wamalwa is laying the groundwork to front an alternative candidate for the Trans Nzoia gubernatorial seat.