Wamalwa won't have it easy in Trans Nzoia, Ford-Kenya leaders say
Kiminini Member of Parliament Chris Wamalwa (centre) with his Kwanza counterpart Ferdinand Wanyonyi (second left) and Trans Nzoia Deputy Governor Stanley Tarus (in white shirt) at a Ford-Kenya rally at Nasianda Friends Primary School in the county on December 23, 2016. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP
What you need to know:
On Tuesday, Kiminini Member of Parliament (MP) Chris Wamalwa told the CS to “stop imagining” that it will be easy for him to clinch the seat should he switch his political base to the region.
- He questioned why some leaders who had supported the CS’s bid to unseat Governor Evans Kidero in Nairobi were now asking him to return to Trans Nzoia.
Water and Irrigation Cabinet Secretary (CS) Eugene Wamalwa will not have it easy should he change his political base from Nairobi to Trans Nzoia.
This was the warning issued by Ford-Kenya leaders from the region who have further warned Mr Wamalwa to “brace himself for a bruising battle” should he decide to vie for the gubernatorial seat currently held by Mr Patrick Khaemba.
On Tuesday, Kiminini Member of Parliament (MP) Chris Wamalwa told the CS to “stop imagining” that it will be easy for him to clinch the seat should he switch his political base to the region.
“Eugene Wamalwa should know that Trans Nzoia has not run short of leaders. We are ready to ensure he is floored at the polls if he makes his intentions real,” he said.
The MP questioned why some leaders who had supported the CS’s bid to unseat Governor Evans Kidero in Nairobi were now asking him to return to Trans Nzoia.
The CS on Saturday revealed that he was mulling over the possibility of switching his political base back to Western region.
Mr Wamalwa, who met his supporters at his Kitale home, said he was consulting widely on his next political move, before making his decision public.
'CONSULTATIVE RALLY'
“I will be coming on February 5 to hold a consultative rally at the ASK show ground in Kitale to ask for your permission whether I should relinquish my Cabinet position to join elective politics,” he said.
“We will have a lengthy discussion at that time. The message you will give to me is what I will deliver to the President and his deputy concerning my political future,” he told his supporters.
The CS had been expected to vie for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in next year’s elections.
He was endorsed to vie for the seat by a number of MPs from central Kenya, who termed the move as meant to neutralize Cord’s dominance and help Jubilee get more votes in 2017.
Meanwhile, Jubilee politicians from Trans Nzoia poured cold water on the prospects of former presidential candidate Peter Kenneth to contest for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat saying such a move may complicate the party’s 2017 matrix.
Speaking in Kitale, Mr Simon Ngugi urged Mr Kenneth to contest in another county since his move may hinder the plan to have water the CS become governor in Nairobi.
