Barasa faces rebellion as ODM rift deepens in Kakamega

Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa’s hold on county politics and the ODM leadership in the Western region faces a litmus test yet, as his rivals gang up to topple him from the party’s county chairmanship.

Last Monday, delegates allied to Barasa and his challenger, Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera, clashed over the mode of voting on whether to adopt a secret ballot or acclamation, stalling the party primaries.

Seven out of Kakamega’s 12 MPs are now backing Nabwera in a bid to dethrone Barasa both as ODM chair and as governor in 2027.

Among them are Christopher Aseka (Khwisero), Oscar Nabulindo (Matungu), Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani), Emmnauel Wangwe (Navakholo), and Kakamega Women Representative Elsie Muhanda.

The MPs who campaigned for Barasa in 2022 now accuse him of sidelining them in county and party affairs despite their loyalty to ODM.

They are reportedly working with former Governor Wycliff Oparanya, who is currently the Cabinet Secretary for Cooperatives. Oparanya has, however, denied the claims of plotting Barasa’s downfall.

Barasa, however, insist the MPs' rebellion is fuelled by Oparanya and National Assembly speaker Moses Wetangula to weaken the party to pave the way for new regional parties.

Speaking in Lugari Constituency on Wednesday, Barasa said he is ready for the polls,  maintaining that he will not allow Nabwera, with divided loyalty and on a mission, to be used by his opponents to kill the party for a new party.

“I am ready for the election, and I welcome the date set by our party for a new election on Monday. I urge all delegates to come out in large numbers and show traitors that the ODM party needs loyalty and not traitors who are on a mission to kill the party,” said Barasa.

He added, “I want to assure our party leader, Raila Odinga, that the party is strong and I will keep it vibrant and strong. I have opened branch offices across the 12 sub-counties to give the party visibility, and we want our opponents to show the ODM fraternity their contribution for being in the party for over 20 years.”

The governor dismissed calls for secret ballot voting, saying the party constitution only provides for consensus or acclamation.

Barasa, in the past, accused Oparanya of wanting to run the show, which he has stood firm against, forcing Oparanya to plot a scheme to undermine his administration.

However, on Tuesday, while in the company of a section of MPs in Khwisero, Nabii said he is ready for the election, accused Barasa of sabotaging the election, and declared himself the new chair until fresh polls are held.

“I am ready for the election anytime anyway, and I am confident of winning. Our governor, who feared losing the seat, bungled the election. We want to use a secret ballot as a way of voting,” said Nabii.

Nabii alleges that the governor has failed to implement most of his promises in the county, besides failing to take the ODM party to greater heights amid the onslaught from new political parties like DCP and other existing parties like Ford-Kenya, DAP-K, and UDA.

Nabii, who was an ODM and Raila’s diehard, has been pushing for a regional political party under the Western caucus, where he serves as Secretary General, a move seen as a direct threat to ODM dominance in the region.

“I don’t want to hear our people speaking of any other political parties; we want the rallying call to be championing for one united local party that will unite the Western region, and that is the mission we are working on,” said Nabii during an empowerment programme in Matungu attended by both Wetangula and Oparanya.

Kakamega Women Representative Muhanda, who has been positioned as Barasa’s opponent in the gubernatorial contest, has on several occasions accused the governor of not performing beyond where former governor Oparanya had placed the county in terms of development.

“I am the best person to lead Kakamega County in the next poll. Our governor has failed to take Kakamega to greater heights from where Oparanya left off in development. Bukhungu Stadium and Referral Hospital, which are our mega projects, are stalled,” said Muhanda.

He added, “We are ready for the ODM polls, and we want the governor to accept the use of a secret ballot as a method of voting.”

Khwisero MP Aseka, who has also been positioning himself for the governor’s seat, argues that Kakamega needs new leadership that will transform the lives of locals.

“Our county has received a lot of money, but we are yet to see the full fruits of development, and therefore we need to change the county leadership besides the ODM leader’s, and that is why we are behind Nabwera to be our ODM county chairman because the party needs to bring harmony among leaders in the county and make the party vibrant and strong to compete strongly with other parties,” said Aseka.

Barasa also faces strong opposition from his main challengers, Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala.

Khalwale maintains that this is his right time to clinch the seat after he was duped into supporting Malala in the last polls, who lost to Barasa.

However, Malala, on his side, maintains that he is the only young and energetic politician who has the muscles, capacity, and ground to beat Barasa, Khalwale, Elsie, and any other opponent.

Governor Barasa, however, argues that he has achieved a lot in terms of development, stating that the stalled Bukhungu International Stadium and Kakamega Level Six Referral Hospital are ongoing after he successfully engaged the national government under a partnership programme to finish the key projects he inherited from his predecessor.

Barasa also boasts of constructing a 10-kilometre road per ward out of 90 wards across 12 constituencies, the completion of the Lugarigari Maize Plant, the ongoing construction of the Matawatawa Fertiliser Plant, and the completion of the Buteretere Level Four Hospital.

The rift between Barasa, Nabwera, and legislators deepened recently when Nabwera and several Kakamega MPs skipped a delegates’ meeting attended by Raila, only to show up the next day at an event organised by Oparanya.

However, political analyst Dr Barack Muluka argues that Oparanya, Wetangula and Mudavadi want to kill ODM in Western for political survival, especially when bargaining at the national table.

“Oparanya is very disruptive; he has not accepted that he is not the governor, and he wants to be a governor behind a governor and in front of a governor to call shots, and these party primaries allow him to try his plan. The three want ODM dead for their own political interest, and they can do anything, which is why the lawmakers are being controlled by Oparanya,” said Muluka.

He added, “We want ODM to be alive so that as the DNA party we can humiliate it come 2027. Alongside the rejected UDA party and Kenya Kwanza government, ODM has positioned itself as a kingpin party in the West.”