How Legislator, Tim Wanyonyi is defying odds to rewrite his story

By Anderson Ojwang

How Legislator, Tim Wanyonyi is defying odds to rewrite his story

By Anderson Ojwang

He is a man who has defied the odds, cheated death by a whisker, became disabled, deserted and abandoned by friends and clients, but he braved it all and stood up to write his own story.

When he thought everything was crumbling and wanted everyone out of his life, including his wife, she remained the pillar and is credited for his meteoric rise to the national platform.

Resilience, loyalty, sacrifice, trust, and hard work are some of the virtues that have defined and shaped his life after a brush with carjackers in Nairobi that nearly killed all his dreams. But those are now history, as he has changed the odds to deliver in a political brand.

He has emerged as one of the best-performing Members of Parliament in 2024 and is a gubernatorial hopeful for Nairobi in the 2027 general elections.

Meet the Westlands MP, Tim Wanyonyi, who is not leaving anything to chance in his quest for the Nairobi gubernatorial seat in 2027.

“My biggest enemies have been inside ODM. They sit and say you will never be a governor. But this time, we are saying if they try to stop us, we will shove them aside. An idea whose time has come, nobody can stop it. Again, I cannot put my ambition on hold for too long. Last time they asked me to hold on, and this time, if someone tells me to hold, I will ask them to hold as I go for the seat,” he said.

In the 2007 election, Wanyonyi went against the grain and his elder brother, the current Speaker of the National Assembly, Mr Moses Wetang’ula, to propose the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) presidential candidate, Raila Amolo Odinga.

“In 2007, when nobody knew Tim Wanyonyi, Raila Odinga picked me to be one of the people who proposed him to be the president of Kenya. It was beamed nationally and internationally. I proposed Raila Odinga. That time, I knew my brother was a minister in the government. But I chose to be with my political father, Raila Odinga. I have learnt my politics and graduated from Raila Odinga’s school of politics. Raila accepted that I be governor of Nairobi in 2027. I didn’t go to sleep. I have been working and creating structures to win the seat,” he said in Bungoma during a recent ODM recruitment drive.

Fresh from law school and bubbling with childhood and youthful ambitions, he landed his first employment at his elder brother’s law firm, Wetang’ula and Company Advocates. But as fate would have it, disaster struck through carjacking, leaving him confined to a wheelchair.

At the time of the incident, he had a young family, and his children had just celebrated their first birthday. His wife was not working.

During an interview with Citizen TV, Wanyonyi recalled the horrific carjacking incident that saw his whole life come to a standstill.

“I heard someone shouting, ‘Shoot him.’ Something hit me in the back, and all of a sudden, I completely lost myself. I fell down. I tried to stand up, but I couldn’t. They put me on a pickup truck and rushed me to Aga Khan Hospital that very night.”

After receiving treatment and being discharged, Wanyonyi resumed work, but things were not the same.

“In the office where I was working, they withdrew all my clients and files. I went to the office just to sit there. For more than a year, I was in that office doing absolutely nothing. Later on, when I confronted my employer, who was my brother, I told him I don’t like what is going on, and he told me, ‘You know, I’m trying to protect you.’ He said they didn’t want to stress me.”

That marked the first bold step in defying the odds, which has turned out to be a milestone and a game-changer.

Wanyonyi was recently named as one of the best-performing Members of Parliament and said: **“It is a deeply humbling moment when I was honoured as one of the Best MPs of the Year at the Star Leaders’ Awards 2024.

This recognition reflects not only my journey but the core values I hold dear: transparency, accountability, inclusivity, and an unwavering commitment to uplifting our communities. Serving Westlands has been a source of pride, a constant reminder that true leadership is built on the foundation of the people. As we look ahead, these same principles will continue to shape my vision,”** he said.

The Westlands MP has been engaging the public in various forums, including town hall meetings, which he hopes will shore up votes to win the seat.

“We have recently been having a series of public engagement events, and I am genuinely grateful for the incredible ideas and passion shared by our community. From insightful suggestions to open dialogues, Nairobians have shown a strong commitment to making their voices heard in shaping our city’s future,” he said on his social media platforms, Facebook and X.

He said public participation was not just a formality but a powerful force for meaningful change that would help in building a Nairobi that reflects the true aspirations, needs, and values of the people.

“These gatherings have reinforced that Nairobians are ready and willing to lead this charge for a better, more inclusive, and thriving city. As we set our sights on higher office, I emphasised my commitment to an open-door approach, ensuring business security, and strengthening partnerships with law enforcement to foster a safe, thriving, 24-hour business economy in Nairobi,” he said.

He is likely to enjoy the huge Luhya vote bloc in Nairobi and could easily win other vote blocs in the county.