By Anderson Ojwang
For the last two decades, Moses Wetangula has controlled the politics of Bungoma County, and his party, Ford-K, has become synonymous with the region.
Moses held the key to any elective post in Bungoma County, and any politician who differed with him was vanquished and suffered his political wrath.
He came to be known as the crocodile of Bungoma politics, and even presidential candidates recognised his immense significance in accessing the Bukusu voting bloc.
Moses, after the death of Wamalwa Kijana in August 2003, waited patiently and inherited the party’s mantle and the community leadership from Musikari Kombo, which he has safeguarded jealously to date and has remained the kingpin.
But Moses may currently not be sitting easy with the arrival of his younger brother, Tim Wanyonyi. His return home from the city’s upmarket constituency of Westlands seems to be unsettling the status quo.
Tim, an acknowledged performer in Parliament, had his constituency recently ranked fifth by Politrack Africa among the top 10 best-performing elected Members of Parliament in Kenya nationally.
Tim, who had previously in 2022 shown interest in the Nairobi gubernatorial seat and was one of the leading contenders, was prevailed upon by the Azimio la Umoja leaders to defend his seat, which he easily won.
Tim, who has been the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) MP for three terms, subsequently relocated his political interests from Nairobi back to his home county of Bungoma, where he is unsettling waters for Moses.
Tim teamed up with Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, immediate former Bungoma Governor Wafula Wangamati, and Kabuchai MP Majimbo Kalasinga, among others, during the recent by-election for Chwele–Kabuchai Ward to serve Moses his first defeats in two decades in his own ward.
The independent candidate, Erick Wekesa, won the by-election with 6,162 votes against Ford-K’s Vincent Maunda, who managed a paltry 2,765 votes — a powerful statement to Moses.
And now, the brotherly fight has emerged after Tim declared that he will not contest for the seat on the Ford-K ticket, a declaration which has not gone down well with the party leaders and organs, who have promised him the battle of his life.
“The only party I cannot contest with is Ford-K, but I don’t know which party I will use,” Tim said.
Ford-K Secretary General John Chikati said the party will conduct its nominations for the gubernatorial candidate and has not settled on Tim Wanyonyi.
“At no time have we talked with Tim Wanyonyi, either at the management level of Ford Kenya or in a structured way, that he is going to be our gubernatorial candidate and that we are going to campaign for him,” he said.
The Secretary General expressed shock after Tim declared that he will not contest on the Ford-K ticket and that he does not know which political vehicle he will use in the 2027 General Elections.
“We are so shocked that Tim is saying he is not going to vie on a Ford Kenya ticket as if he is a member of Ford Kenya. He is fighting a losing battle,” he said.
Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli said they have been out looking for a leader who would unite the residents, political parties, and communities in the county, and that Tim has failed the test.
“We were looking for a leader who would unite all parties, residents, and tribes together, but my brother Tim has shown that he is not the kind of person we thought he is.
He has removed the burden that was on our shoulders as Ford-K leaders, and we are ready for him at the ballot,” he said.
Wakoli said the Bungoma gubernatorial seat was not a family affair to be dished out and that Ford-K will field a candidate.
“The seat of the county is not a family affair. The county leadership is above family affairs. Ford Kenya will have its candidates and will conduct nominations,” he said.
But Tim said chest-thumping and violence cost the party in the by-election.
“There are people who have believed that they can get power by force. In Kabuchai here, when they tried that, they didn’t win, but we won. The people they were trying to scare rejected them, voted opposite, and they lost.
Nobody can force you to do what you don’t want to do unless you do it yourself,” he said.
He claimed that Ford-K leadership ganged up to reject the newly elected MCA for Chwele–Kabuchai after a leader approached Wetangula to support his candidature.
“There is someone who took Erick to the Ford Kenya leader and asked him to give him the party ticket to contest, and that he would deliver the seat without the party leader sweating.
They ganged up, saying that he was someone else’s candidate, and they rejected him. You can see the result,” he said.
Tim said the county was being auctioned by political leaders and that the trend must be brought to an end.
“This Bungoma is being auctioned by our leaders, and we are going to say enough is enough,” he said.
Will Tim, who in the Bible was a close companion and mentee of Apostle Paul, a young pastor in Ephesus and the recipient of two New Testament books, hook out Moses — who in the Bible is the central figure in the Old Testament — in Bungoma politics and confine him to his father’s stead?
