Devolution Cabinet Secretary Eugene Wamalwa sparked speculation after hinting at a possible move to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
Wamalwa spoke during a trip to Nyatike Sub-County, Migori to assess the floods situation and help area residents on Saturday, June 6. He was accompanied by Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
They undertook a food aid distribution exercise before addressing residents and local leaders from the region in an open-air forum. Speaking to the locals, Wamalwa observed that Oparanya insisted on delivering his speech on a microphone with a conspicuous orange cover due to his loyalty to ODM.
The Cabinet Secretary then stated that he, too, was not afraid to use the orange microphone cover, causing the excited crowd to cheer him on.
"When he (Oparanya) was speaking, he said that he must use this microphone because it is orange, meaning it belongs to the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).
"And I want to say here today that I will also not be afraid of speaking with this microphone...because on March 9, 2018 we had the handshake between President Uhuru Kenyatta and the (former) Prime Minister Raila Odinga, the leader of ODM," he stated.
Wamalwa was until 2016 a member of New Ford Kenya when the party joined several others in folding up to form President Uhuru Kenyatta-led Jubilee Party.
Wamalwa explained that the collaboration between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM leader Raila Odinga meant that any animosity between Jubilee and opposition members was forgotten.
He further relayed greeting from Raila and Uhuru, stating that they were committed to implementing long-term solutions for the flood menace.
Wamalwa also reiterated his support for the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) as he promised to rally grassroots support for the final report in the Western region.
"We want to unite all the communities so that we live in harmony. This is why you see me working with Governor Oparanya. We have agreed to unite communities in Western Kenya.
"We've had elders from the Bukusu, Teso, Sabaot meeting and accepting to work together. Now we want them to work with elders from different communities. They should sit with Luo Council of Elders, Kalenjin Council of Elders to ensure we bring our people together and guarantee peace," he stated.
He asserted that he was taking seriously his new role as a spokesperson of the Luhya community, and promised to work closely with Oparanya in pushing for various meaningful development projects.
Listen to part of Wamalwa's speech below:
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