The recent demise of two Luhya Mps, Justus Murunga of Matungu and James Lusweti of Kabuchai must have an impact on the political equation in the Western region.
Murunga who was elected on Mudavadi’s ANC ticket succumbed to covid-19 while Luweti who died in Nairobi after battling his ailment for a long time was elected on Wetangula’s Ford-K ticket.
Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetangula attended the two burials where they urged for Luhya unity without addressing the upcoming by-elections or options to merge their parties.
The two are desperately backing BBI report to remain relevant. They were also calling for a review of the document but appended their signatures before it is reviewed.
They are confused like that and creating a huge gap for outsiders to jump in and use Luhya bloc as a swing vote in general polls.
The two leaders were together under NASA in 2017 where they supported Raila Odinga’s presidential candidature but the coming by elections that might held on the same day may pit them against each other if they don’t support one candidate or agree on a fielding formula.
The Lugari MP claimed that ANC would return the hand by not fielding in Kabuchai.
The late Lusweti was Senator Wetangula’s top sycophant who stood with him even during the times when Kanduyi MP Wafula Wamunyinyi nearly toppled Wetangula at the helm of the party.
But Mudavadi had been given cold shoulders by the late Murunga who had joined DP William Ruto’s Tangatanga movement.
The two leaders avoided the elephant in the room and instead challenged Ruto to support the BBI report, a product of President Uhuru Kenyatta’s handshake with the ODM leader Raila Odinga who ditched them after 2017 polls.
They claimed that BBI report is very nice document that the DP should support instead of sitting on the fence.
ANC leader is facing an uphill task with ODM also heckling from a distance and daring to take his seat.
The politically busy Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya who is also the deputy leader of ODM is expected to lead the party’s operations in elections where Ruto might field Rashid Echesa.
