Khalwale slams Malala over claims Junet was Ruto’s mole in ODM
By Mabonga Makhanu, January 21, 2026Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has come out to slam Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader Cleophas Malala following recent claims he made about Suna East Member of Parliament Junet Mohammed.
Malala had earlier accused Junet Mohammed of undermining the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), claiming that Junet never believed in the late Raila Odinga and was the reason behind his losses in several elections despite being his right-hand man. He also stated that Junet was President William Ruto’s right-hand man in 2022, claiming that Junet used to visit Ruto and brief him on ODM agents across the country.
“I was Ruto’s right-hand man. We were in UDA. At night, Junet used to come to see Ruto and brief him on everything. We even had a list of ODM agents across the country.”
In a statement shared on his social media pages on Wednesday, January 21, 2025, Boni Khalwale slammed his predecessor Cleophas Malala, whom he had ceded his gubernatorial ambitions to and supported in 2022.
Khalwale stated that if Malala truly believed Junet was President Ruto’s point man in ODM and was used to defeat the party, then Malala should have employed the same strategy to win the Kakamega gubernatorial seat against ODM candidate Fernandes Barasa.
According to Boni Khalwale, if Malala was indeed present when Junet was helping President Ruto defeat ODM, then he could have employed the same strategy to win against his competitor in Kakamega, who was also an ODM candidate.
“I was Ruto’s right-hand man. We were in UDA. At night, Junet used to come to see Ruto and brief him on everything. We even had a list of ODM agents across the country.”
This comes after Malala launched a scathing attack on Junet Mohammed, accusing him of being among the ODM officials leading the party into forming a pact with President William Ruto’s UDA party ahead of the 2027 general elections, something that, according to him, is against what the late Raila Odinga stood for.
Kakamega gubernatorial race
The two are set to face each other on the ballot during the 2027 Kakamega County gubernatorial elections. The county woman rep, Elsie Muhanda, has also announced her bid for the seat and was endorsed by Cooperative Cabinet Secretary Wickliffe Oparanya after he fell out with the incumbent governor, Fernandes Barasa.