Wafula Wamunyinyi: Man Who Nearly Ousted Wetangula Wants to Succeed Him

Former CS Eugene Wamalwa with DAP Party Leader Wafula Wamunyinyi in a past political rally. STANDARD
Former CS Eugene Wamalwa with DAP Party Leader Wafula Wamunyinyi in a past political rally. STANDARD
The Standard

Azimio La Umoja fronted DAP-K Party Leader Wafula Wamunyinyi as its preferred candidate for the Bungoma Senatorial by-election. 

The former Kanduyi MP seeks to replace Speaker Moses Wetangula, in what appears to be a bitter contest between Raila Odinga of the Azimio La Umoja and Kenya Kwanza's President William Ruto. 

Wetangula and Wamunyinyi fell out after the latter orchestrated an internal coup in Ford-Kenya that saw him declared the interim chair temporarily.  

Wamunyinyi's group called out the Wetang’ula faction over its decision to quit the defunct National Supr Alliance (NASA), claiming that they were not consulted.

Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula.
Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetangula.
DPPS

He further alleged that Wetangula was operating in a non-official capacity and could not transact business on behalf of Ford-Kenya.

A battle that culminated in court saw the Wamunyinyi-Eseli group halted from convening a Ford-Kenya National Delegates Congress (NDC) after Wetangula stumped authority. 

"That pending the hearing and determination of this application and to ensure full and due compliance with orders of this honourable court given on June 15, 2020, it hereby ordered that the Notice issued by Eseli Simiy convening the National Delegates Congress of the FORD-Kenya for November 21, 2020, or any other date be and is hereby stayed," directed the court.

Wamunyinyi would later emerge as the party leader of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), criticised as an outfit formed to create confusion in Western Kenya with the ultimate aim of denying Wetangula a substantial number of votes.

DAP-K won the Trans Nzoia governorship seat, with George Natembeya succeeding Patrick Khaemba as the second county governor. 

Five members of parliament would also win in the 2022 general elections on a DAP-K ticket.

In the Kanduyi Parliamentary race, Ford Kenya’s John Makali emerged as the winner after garnering 32,099 votes against Wamunyinyi’s 20,240 votes. ODM’s Alfred Khangati came third with 12,970 votes.

In Tongaren, John Chikati of Ford K trounced the incumbent Eseli Simiyu of DAP-K after garnering 20,108 votes, Simiyu only managed 9,802 votes.

Ford Kenya party leader Moses Wetang’ula recently endorsed his longest-serving personal assistant Wafula Wakoli to take the mantle as the next Bungoma County Senator.

Wafula Wakoli, the Bungoma Senatorial aspirant.
Wafula Wakoli, the Bungoma Senatorial aspirant.
Kenyans.co.ke