Kiminini constituency will have a new MP next year following the exit of Chris Wamalwa who has shifted interest to vie for the
Trans-Nzoia governor seat during the 2022 general elections after serving a two-term stint since the creation of the electoral area a decade ago. The jostling to succeed the Ford-Kenya lawmaker is narrowing to a four-man race after a prominent farmer Evans Kundu and a top civil servant based at the Treasury House in Nairobi Kituyi Wambaya added to the ever growing list of aspirants. Also in the race is Martin Nangole, a Nairobi based IT expert. Kundu, 56, and Wambaya have sparked off an intense debate in Kiminini as the dust settles on the Ford-K party which is dominating the politics of the constituency. Wamalwa is considered a close ally of the party leader, Bungoma senator Moses Wetang’ula. While Kundu, also a businessman based in Nairobi, boasts of close ties with Wetang’ula. Wambaya and Nangole are leaving nothing to chance that will propel them to fly the Ford-K flag in next year’s polls.
Chris Wamalwa
The entry of the trio adds to yet another tough group of aspirants that is Kiminini MCA David Kisaka and a vet Joseph Wafula. Incidentally, all are angling towards Ford-K and it will be interesting to see how the party will handle the nominations to save it from further split considering that the party is already besieged with internal leadership wrangles. Each of the aspirants is exuding confidence to clinch the Ford-K ticket with a story being said already Wetang’ula had met all of them in different forums to gauge their financial and personal capability to win against the Jubilee, UDA, ODM, DAP (K) and ANC candidates in the race. Fronting Kundu’s candidature is former Kenya Seed MD Dr Nathaniel Tum who together with elders John Korir and Boniface Wasike who say their bid to rally behind the Bikeke and Amagoro farmer was reached after a consensus from all the wards in the constituency adding that he was well placed to spearhead the projects initiated by the outgoing Dr Wamalwa.
David Kisaka
And for Kisaka, the two-term MCA is cashing on his vast experience as the budget comptroller for the county and the fact that he is too familiar with the residents and the geographical areas of the constituency than any other aspirant. Wafula, the only aspirant following the footsteps of Dr Wamalwa, seems to be the man who has emulated the outgoing legislator by responding to the distress calls of bereaved families, attending to women and youths groups and involving himself with church masses. Already talk is rife that Dr Wamalwa had settled on Wafula as his heir apparent and a fellow doctorate holder, a fact Wafula denies that the choice of the next Kiminini MP lies in the hands of the voters themselves. The four, however, might find the going not easy as other political parties are agonizing on how to stop the Ford-K influence with the DAP (K), a party associated with Devolution CS Eugene Wamalwa , Musalia Mudavadi’s ANC and Raila Odinga’s ODM will field their own candidates. Those understood to be going for the constituency seat include secondary school principal Cosmas Nabungolo , perennial loser Battam Khaemba and Peter Kusimba.
