In Bungoma, no one opposes Wetang’ula and survives politically — is Kalasinga next casualty?
By Mabonga Makhanu, October 5, 2025Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga is now a man under siege.
This comes after National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula, who supported and held his hand during the 2021 by-election following the death of former MP James Mukwe, is no longer reading from the same script. Wetang’ula has never been soft on any politician from Bungoma who goes against him.
The same might now be staring at Majimbo Kalasinga, whose re-election in 2027 remains in jeopardy, with many people familiar with Bungoma politics wondering whether Majimbo will survive Wetang’ula’s wrath.
Kalasinga has always established himself as a voice of the people, a leader who follows the instructions of his electorate, not party bosses. He says he does what the people who elected him tell him to do.
Where trouble began
This stand has often put him in trouble with his party. His woes with FORD–Kenya began in 2023 during the Finance Bill vote. Since FORD–Kenya was an integral member of the Kenya Kwanza coalition, all its MPs were expected to vote in favour of the bill. However, Kalasinga went against the wishes of his party and voted “No”, just like many opposition MPs.
Prior to the vote, the weekend before, he had gone to his constituency and asked Kabuchai residents which way he should vote. They overwhelmingly told him to vote “No”. He then told them that should he vote as they wished, and the time for his crucifixion by the party come, they would be the only ones to save him. He later proceeded to vote “No” right in front of his party boss, who also doubles as the Speaker.
After the vote, the party began sidelining him. He was also summoned to the disciplinary committee. The most notable incident was during his homecoming ceremony, where a number of prominent MPs from the county drawn from FORD–Kenya and close to Wetang’ula were conspicuously absent.
In 2024, the situation was no different. He again went against the wishes of his party and voted “No”. Similarly, during the impeachment of Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, he chose to abstain.
At this point, his relationship with the party had begun to deteriorate. FORD–Kenya MPs constantly attacked him. The most notable scene was during the burial of Wetang’ula’s mother, where, as the host MP, he was expected to be the master of ceremonies and invite his colleagues to speak. However, he was introduced like any other MP, something that really agitated him. The MC role was instead handed to Kimani Ichung’wah.
Majimbo has repeatedly lamented intimidation from FORD–Kenya MPs and close allies of Wetang’ula. During an interview on a local radio station, he stated that despite the onslaught directed against him by the party, he would never insult or speak ill of his political father, Moses Wetang’ula. However, in recent days, things seem different.
Wetang’ula clapping back at Kalasinga
Wetang’ula, who had remained silent despite all this, has now opened a new battlefront directly aiming at Majimbo. What angered the Speaker most was a recent publication in a local daily in which Kalasinga declared that in 2027, he would test his political strength against Wetang’ula.
This provoked the Speaker, who came out guns blazing at the MP, asking how he could dare do so when he and his elderly parents had woken up early on election day to vote for him.
Wetang’ula spelt doom for Kalasinga, warning him that, just like the politicians who had gone against him in the past, the same fate awaited him. He told him it was only a matter of time, saying that the ballot is not a tea party; it must be fought for, and that 2027 would be no different.
Any politician who steps on Wetang’ula’s toes in Bungoma has always had a rough time, with their re-election chances becoming almost impossible.
Past casualties of Wetangula’s wrath
Former Bungoma Governor Wycliffe Wangamati, former Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi, and former Tongaren MP Eseli Simiyu, all once Wetang’ula’s long-term allies, publicly fell out with him and all lost their seats in 2022.
The incumbent governor, Ken Lusaka, also faced the same fate in 2017 after aligning himself with Jubilee. He lost his seat to Wangamati, who was being fronted by Wetang’ula.
This has always been the trend: anyone who goes against Wetang’ula politically faces his wrath. Even Raila Odinga, after orchestrating Wetang’ula’s removal as Senate Minority Leader and replacing him with then-Siaya Senator James Orengo, lost a significant number of votes from Bungoma, which had long been one of his strongholds.
Majimbo’s case might not be any different; it might even be worse since he hails from the same constituency as Wetang’ula. He is right at the Speaker’s doorstep, unlike other MPs who fought him from distant constituencies but still lost due to his wrath.
Wetang’ula’s influence
Bungoma residents have long viewed Wetang’ula as their kingpin. He once made history by being elected overwhelmingly without erecting a single poster or banner, as he was busy campaigning in other regions while assured of his senatorial seat.
Majimbo Kalasinga now finds himself walking a political tightrope in Bungoma, a region where defying Moses Wetang’ula has historically come at a heavy price.
His insistence on listening to his constituents rather than bowing to party pressure has earned him admiration from the public but hostility from within his political camp.