Why Didimus Barasa could still win Bungoma governorship even without Wetang’ula’s support
By Mabonga Makhanu, September 20, 2025Kimilili Member of Parliament (MP) Didimus Barasa had a field day in the Bungoma gubernatorial race, with his worthy competitor being the former Bungoma governor, Wycliffe Wangamati.
But upon the entry of Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi, the race has completely changed. It has now turned into a two-horse race, with all Members of Parliament from Bungoma, particularly from the Ford Kenya party, which once supported Barasa, shifting their allegiance to Wetangula’s younger brother.
But despite this, with all MCAs and MPs supporting Wanyonyi, Barasa might still win the race and dwarf all their combined efforts.
Immediately after the 2022 polls, Barasa began hinting at his interest in running for the county boss position, a move that was welcomed by Bungoma leaders.
Announcing his bid
He announced that he is fully in the Ford Kenya party after being elected to Parliament on the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. In his usual gimmicks and theatrics that have made him loved by his constituents, he used symbolism, such as declaring that he wants to be the Bishop of Bungoma from 2027.
He went a step further to clarify that he does not want to be a bishop to mean a spiritual leader who will take the Bungoma people to heaven but a bishop who will spur Bungoma County to the islands of economic prosperity.
This was highly welcomed by even leaders such as National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula, who at one point stated that at the right time the party would offer him support.
But from the looks of things, he might join the rest of the leaders in supporting his brother over Didimus, despite him announcing his bid earlier.
Drawing crowds
Despite Didimus being a lonely man with no support from any elected representative from Bungoma and doing lonely campaigns, with his colleagues who once cherished his bid now throwing their weight behind Westlands MP, Barasa, he has been able to outsmart them.
His one-man campaigns have been attracting mammoth crowds, while the other team, despite being many behind one candidate, cannot match the crowds of Didimus.
The recent rally in Mount Elgon, where Wanyonyi, together with other MPs led by Sirisia MP John Waluke, campaigned to help traverse the county to popularise him, even at one point stating that his constituency has already made up its mind and Tim would not campaign there because they would overwhelmingly elect him, attracted few people.
Despite the presence of several leaders, including area MP Waluke, Webuye East MP, Kanduyi MP, and area MCAs, the crowd never matched that of Didimus, who conducted a rally in the same area.
Mt Elgon factor
Mount Elgon has been a key figure in Bungoma politics since, judging from past elections, anybody who manages to scoop a majority of votes in the area has always won the Bungoma gubernatorial seat.
The constituency, predominantly occupied by the Sabaots and Dorobos, has always voted as a block, and that is why the candidates are courting the zone. Barasa even persuaded them that he is one of them since, according to him, his father was a Sabaot.
He went a notch higher by accompanying his wife, who is a Saboat, just to endear himself to them for them to view him as one of their own.
His wife went ahead to speak fluent Sabaot, which left the whole crowd in a frenzy. Just like Mount Kenya plays a huge role in Kenyan politics and is a major determinant of who assumes the top seat, the same is true for Mount Elgon in Bungoma politics.
Wetang’ula’s decision
Moses Wetangula, in past elections since the advent of devolution, has always influenced who becomes the governor of Bungoma. Anyone who receives Wetangula’s blessing has an easier task in clinching the top seat and many other elective seats in the county.
In this race, despite him earlier seemingly siding with Barasa, he has now become silent, with leaders around him all supporting his brother. This means he may just follow suit, or he is the one telling them to do so.
But Didimus Barasa is a self-made politician. In 2017, despite the Ford Kenya wave, where Bungoma residents were only electing people who had vied under the Ford Kenya banner and anyone with a Ford Kenya ticket was assured of winning whichever position they were vying for, Didimus Barasa, on a Jubilee ticket at a time when the party was hated in Bungoma, managed to defeat Wetangula’s Ford Kenya candidate, the late Suleiman Murunga, who was defending his seat.
Didimus went above the Ford Kenya wave and scooped the majority of votes. The same might still happen. Didimus has managed to get into people’s hearts, and regardless of the party he vies for, he might still win the polls without Wetangula’s blessing.
Dan Wanyama booed
During an empowerment programme in Kanduyi, where Wetang’ula, among other leaders, was in attendance, Webuye West MP Dan Wanyama, who is against Barasa’s bid, has over and over again told him to his face that he is not the suitable candidate for Bungoma while declaring his support for Wanyonyi.
Even during that function, when he tried to do the same, he was met with heckles and boos, with the crowd chanting Didimus Barasa’s name.
This forced the MP to get out of his seat, walk to the dais behind Wanyama, remove his signature red hat, and bow down as the Webuye West MP continued to struggle to address the crowd amid the chants.
Legal woes
Barasa has always endeared himself to the people. No matter what he does, his Kimilili constituents are always ready to celebrate him.
Even when he was entangled in a controversy that saw him accused of shooting someone at a polling station in his constituency and barred by the courts from stepping into his constituency for a period of three months until investigations were done, after the ban, despite what he was being accused of, he received a heroic welcome.
His constituents, who had not seen him for three months after his election, showed up in numbers to welcome their king, with Amutala Stadium in Kimilili town being filled to capacity just for his return.
Heroic welcome after Finance Bill vote
The same happened after the 2024 Finance Bill protests, where MPs who had voted “Yes” were having a rough time with their constituents going after their properties. This was not the case with Didimus Barasa.
He went ahead to mock the Gen Zs who were saying that they were leaderless, saying that he is their leader.
When he announced that he would be back to the constituency with his first stop being at Kimilili Junction, they all came out in mammoth numbers, not even judging him for the vote he had cast that made the country come to a standstill.
Using this opportunity to explain the reason behind his vote to pass the Finance Bill, his explanations were met with cheers and applause. Is this the person that you want to say will be defeated?
Chance of winning
Barasa’s earlier declaration of his interest in the Bungoma seat seems to be paying off. It has given him an upper hand over Tim Wanyonyi, although dynamics might shift later on.
But as of now, Barasa stands a high chance of winning. He has managed to antagonise Tim’s influence despite him having a whole battalion of leaders behind him. His sweet tongue and crowd charm have put him on top of the table.