Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has held talks with Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya at his Karen home in Nairobi.

The meeting has sparked reactions among Kenyans, with many eager to know the details of the discussion.

Governor Natembeya, who in recent weeks has been in wrangles with his party’s Democratic Action Party (DAP–K) leader Eugene Wamalwa over party leadership, has been pushing for Wamalwa to step down, saying it is time for a generational change.

This led to the party convening a National Executive Council (NEC) meeting where the two factions were brought together, and a 12-member select committee was formed and given 40 days to look into the issues raised.

Gachagua-Natembeya meetings

This marks the second time former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua has met with George Natembeya, the first being during a joint rally in Western Kenya.

 That event brought together all United Opposition leaders, including Kalonzo Musyoka, Eugene Wamalwa, Democratic Party (DP) leader Justin Muturi, and former Interior Cabinet Secretary and newly installed Jubilee Deputy Party Leader Fred Matiang’i.

Despite Natembeya and Gachagua meeting publicly on only two occasions, Gachagua has consistently viewed Natembeya as a leader capable of uniting the Western region and delivering significant numbers to the United Opposition.

 This has been evidenced by his statements, where he never fails to mention Natembeya’s name among the top leaders in the United Opposition with strong political influence.

Natembeya’s quest for kingpinship

Governor Natembeya has in recent months been traversing counties across the Western region, with each community crowning him as their spokesman.

He is now set to tour all four Western Kenya counties before his final coronation at Bukhungu Stadium, where the region is expected to bless him as their official spokesperson to negotiate with leaders from other regions for political power.

Recently, while addressing his constituents during the first week of mass continuous voter registration, Natembeya expressed frustration after learning that only 71 new voters had registered across the entire Trans Nzoia County.

He questioned how he would be able to negotiate with United Opposition leaders with such low voter turnout, noting that he had promised to deliver 4.5 million votes from the region.

Eugene Wamalwa, on his part, recently commented on Natembeya’s quest for the top seat, saying he was the one who introduced him to politics. According to Wamalwa, they had agreed that Natembeya would focus on helping Trans Nzoia regain its lost 10 years of devolution.

However, Wamalwa lamented that Natembeya later abandoned their agreement and began competing with him for the country’s and party’s top seat.

Nonetheless, Wamalwa welcomed his ambition, saying he would support him as long as all interested candidates are subjected to a fair nomination process within the party, with the best candidate becoming the flag bearer, not through a coup.