Wetangula, Lusaka heckled off in home turf

National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula and Bungoma Governor Kenneth Lusaka yesterday ran into a hostile crowd as they joined football fans for the thrilling Western Region Secondary Schools football final match between Musingu Boys (Scorpions) and Kakamega Boys (Green Commandos) at a packed Masinde Muliro Kanduyi Stadium.

They were heckled by the crowd chanting anti-government slogans and drumming up support for Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna.  The duo had made a stopover at the stadium after attending an event in Sirisia where  they rallied residents to stop divisive politics.

However, they were the unwelcome guests as residents turned against them, turning a new leaf in the fight to control Western.

A section of fans were heard chanting "Wantam!" "Sifuna!" "Sisi ni Sifuna1" forcing the duo to leave the stadium before addressing and proceeding to an event in Matungu. The development casts a dark cloud on the quest by Wetangula to ring fence support for Ruto in the region.

Realsing they were unwelcome, Wetang'ula, Lusaka and their entourage left shortly after.

The incident comes after a court this week barred Wetang'ula and his Senate counterpart Amason Kingi from campaigns.

A fan who attended the match told Sunday Standard that the leaders were rejected because of duping residents of Western to back Ruto's reelection despite his underperfomance. He also described the treatment of Sifuna by the government as unacceptable.

Earlier on the battle for the control of the vote-rich Western Kenya region ahead of the 2027 General Election came into the fore on Saturday as  President William Ruto deployed his allies and government machinery across three counties to popularize his re-election.

The coordinated political event turned the Western region into a beehive of activity.

Four powerful, distinct government-allied factions pitched camp across Bungoma, Kakamega, and Vihiga counties to lock down the region's support.

The aggressive vote hunt comes just days before the opposition’s Linda Mwananchi movement lands in Bungoma and Trans Nzoia counties for major political rallies.

The high-stakes tours were, however, quickly overshadowed by fierce political fireworks.

Kenya Kwanza heavyweights and broad-based attack on retired President Uhuru Kenyatta while accusing the former Head of State of covertly financing the Linda Mwananchi movement in a deliberate plot to splinter the Mulembe nation vote and weaken President Ruto’s wining chances.

Wetang’ula, Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa, and Bungoma Governor Ken Lusaka led a contingent of MPs through Sirisia Constituency in Bungoma and Matungu Constituency in Kakamega for economic empowerment programs.

Another group led by Cooperatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya and the Acting Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Secretary General spearheaded a charged ODM delegates convention in Vihiga Constituency, Vihiga County.

Another group led by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and Public Service Principal Secretary Dr. Jane Imbunya engaged cultural leaders, hosting a consultative session with Tiriki Elders in Hamisi.

The other group led by Head of Public Service Felix Koskei and Higher Education Permanent Secretary Beatrice Inyangala engaged youth, professionals and community elders in Kakamega town to popularize the Kenya Kwanza administration's developmental template.

Speaking to in Sirisia and Matungu, Wetang’ula spearheaded the offensive against the former Head of State and emerging opposition leaders.

"We have emerging young leaders who are busy insulting others thinking that the only way to ascend to leadership is by insulting their fellow leaders. We have been around for a long time and we have worked with several regimes, and as a region, we have benefited a lot from the Ruto administration than the successive regimes," said Wetang’ula.

He added, "Uhuru never prioritized this region in terms of development, but Ruto has. It is ironic that Uhuru is sponsoring emerging leaders to divide its votes when he never developed this region, but we want to say that we will not allow it."

Wetang’ula argued that the 2027 election will offer a stepping stone for the community's future ambitions.

"The 2027 general election will offer a good opportunity for the region to ascend to power in 2032 by supporting Ruto’s re-election bid. We have walked with Ruto and we are certain that he will do so after his re-election bid because that is the only way to get the presidency. We want our people to remain united and they should come out in large numbers and register as voters," said Wetang’ula.

He added "I was with President Kibaki and Moi but the Western region was neglected. With Ruto, we have witnessed a lot of change like the upgrade of the Lwakhakha–Sirisia–Chwele–Kanduyi road to A1 status, a move intended to decongest the busy Kanduyi–Malaba highway and enhance the movement of goods, services, and people. Also, the Level Six Sichei Hospital in Kabuchai Constituency is expected to improve access to quality healthcare across the region."

The broad-based team also accused former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, the leader of the Democratic Change Party (DCP) of divisive politics.

The attacks followed recent remarks by Gachagua warning Murang'a Governor Irungu Kang'ata and Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi brigade to stay away from the upcoming Ol Kalou parliamentary by-election campaigns.

Lusaka stated that Gachagua's warnings  exposed deep fractures and a lack of cohesive strategy within the newly formed opposition networks.

"You saw yesterday how some opposition leaders warned their colleagues against stepping into Ol Kalou. Such behavior depicts poor leadership. Political leaders should be free to campaign in any part of the country without restriction or intimidation from rival camps," said Lusaka.

In Vihiga, during the ODM delegates meeting, Khwisero MP Christopher Aseka explicitly demanded that Cooperatives CS Wycliffe Oparanya be designated as Ruto’s running mate in the 2027 polls.

"As an ODM and Western region, we have decided to support President William Ruto’s re-election bid in 2027, but we are saying Ruto’s Running Mate must come from the Western region. The person to take up that position we have agreed on is Oparanya, and we will not allow anyone to oppose the decision," said Barasa.

Likuyani MP Innocent Mugabe targeted the retired president, alleging deep-seated jealousy over the current administration's successes in the Western province.

"Ruto has done enough in terms of development in the Western region for the four years he has been in power as compared to Uhuru. We want to tell the former Head of State that he is partisan and jealous of President Ruto," said Mugabe.