Weta courts Eugene in bid to ringfence Luhya vote

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula has revealed the formation of a joint political pact with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and CS Wycliffe Oparanya to consolidate support for President William Ruto’s re-election.

Speaking during the burial service for former councillor Johnston Barasa at Wekhoya village in Kiminini constituency, Wetang’ula said the alliance seeks to unify the Luhya community and strengthen its bargaining power in national leadership.

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“Mudavadi, Oparanya and I have come together under an arrangement aimed at sealing off the Western vote for President Ruto, while at the same time placing the Luhya community in a strong position to succeed him in 2032,” Wetang’ula said.

He shared a platform with DAP-Kenya party leader Eugene Wamalwa whom he urged to join the alliance, noting that unity among senior leaders would enhance the community’s chances of securing national leadership.

“I urge Wamalwa, with whom we have agreed to work together, to join his elder brothers in cementing Luhya unity behind Ruto so that the community can realise its long-held dream of producing a President,” he said.

But Wamalwa said he was not ready to abandon the one-term campaign against President Ruto but was willing to bury the hatchet with Wetang’ula and work together politically for the benefit of the community.

“I respect the Speaker as a senior leader from our community and I am ready to work with him. There should be no political enmity or confrontation between us or our supporters. Our unity should benefit our people,” Wamalwa said.

However, Wamalwa maintained he would continue with the one-term push, arguing he was equally justified in his stance as Wetang’ula was in supporting a two-term presidency for Ruto.

He also cautioned Wetang’ula over plans by UDA to form a coalition with ODM, claiming that Ford Kenya risked being sidelined in the negotiations.

“Where is Ford Kenya in the discussions for a new alliance between UDA and ODM?” Wamalwa posed.

Wetang’ula assured supporters that Ford Kenya was a key player in the negotiations and would not be eclipsed from any political arrangement.

He decried underdevelopment in Trans Nzoia county, saying he had raised the matter with Ruto, who had directed that stalled road projects be revived alongside other development initiatives.

He called on residents to support Ruto’s second-term bid to benefit from continued development.

Wetang’ula also urged emerging leaders to respect senior politicians, citing the Luo, Kamba and Kalenjin communities as examples where unity and respect for top leadership had strengthened political influence.

Kenya’s Permanent Representative to UN-Habitat, Ambassador Susan Nakhumicha, criticised the state of health and education services in the county, blaming poor leadership. She reiterated her intention to contest the governro seat in the next General Election.