The race for Bungoma governor is shaping up into a clash of political heavyweights, pitting allies of President William Ruto, National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.
Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, Westlands MP Tim Wanyonyi and former Bungoma
Governor Wycliffe Wangamati have all set their sights on the seat.
This makes the seat one of the most fiercely contested races
in Western Kenya. Barasa, a close ally of Ruto, is expected to fly the UDA flag. He hit the
campaign trail soon after the 2022 elections and has sustained vigorous
grassroots mobilisation, giving him an early edge.
“Barasa is the frontrunner for that seat because he started
early and is engaging the people directly,” political observer Martin Andati
said.
He is banking on his track record as MP, where locals credit
him with prudent use of the CDF, especially bursaries and school construction.
“You see, the manner in which the wananchi have embraced me
and my candidacy has caused some leaders to suffer from pressure, and others
are not getting any sleep,” Barasa said recently.
However, analysts caution that his strategy of bypassing
local MPs in favour of direct engagement with voters could backfire.
Some voters also view him as too young and abrasive to lead
the county.
Still, he commands significant support across constituencies,
including Webuye East, Webuye West, Kabuchai, Sirisia, Tongaren, Kimilili and
Mt Elgon.
Wanyonyi, serving his third term as Westlands MP, is widely
seen as an experienced hand and a unifying figure.
Though an ODM legislator, insiders suggest he may seek the
Ford Kenya ticket, a party long dominant in Bungoma politics and led by his
brother, Wetang’ula.
“I have come here as a candidate seeking to run as governor of Bungoma,” he said in July. “Bungoma is a very strategic county, the third largest in Kenya. The potential here is huge, and we need to tap it.” But his bid faces two hurdles: a late entry into the race and perceptions that he is a ‘project’ of his elder brother, Wetang’ula.
“Tim is a good candidate, but delinking himself from his brother has become so difficult,” one analyst observed.
Andati said that while Wanyonyi enjoys a war chest, he faces the risk of public
backlash due to his decision to use the current leaders to market his bid.
“Most of the current leaders will not be re-elected,” Andati
said. “Tim is also giving these leaders money, but this money is not reaching
the people on the ground. That may work to his disadvantage.”
Wanyonyi hails from Kabuchai but has invested heavily in Kanduyi, where he now
resides and is expected to draw strong support.
Former Governor Wangamati is also in the race, seeking to
reclaim the seat he lost to Ken Lusaka in 2022.
Running on a DAP-Kenya ticket, Wangamati remains popular for his scholarship
programme that benefited many families before being scrapped by the current
administration.
Like Wanyonyi, he hails from Kabuchai but lives in Kanduyi
and is believed to enjoy considerable support in Bumula.
He is also expected to leverage the rising influence of Governor Natembeya,
DAP-Kenya’s deputy party leader, whose growing popularity is challenging
Wetang’ula’s grip on Bungoma politics.
Observers say the three-way contest sets up a fierce showdown between Ruto’s UDA, Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya and Natembeya’s DAP-Kenya, with Bungoma’s strategic political and economic weight making the outcome a key marker ahead of 2027.
