Boni Khalwale Warns Kithure Kindiki against Meddling in Kakamega Politics: "I'm Your Senior"
- Senator Boni Khalwale wants outsiders to keep off the politics of Kakamega, saying the voters there are astute enough to make informed decisions at the ballot
- He went after Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, whom he accused of meddling in the affairs of the county after the latter declared support for Governor Fernandes Barasa's reelection bid
- Khalwale seeks to be the next governor of Kakamega in the 2027 General Election, which will be his second bid after flunking the first one in 2017
Kakamega - High-octane politics leading up to the 2027 General Election are being sparked as politicians mark their territories.
Source: Twitter
Kakamega senator Boni Khalwale is leaving nothing to chance as he strategises to win the Kakamega governorship in his second attempt.
Why Boni Khalwale was angry at Kindiki
He exploded at Deputy President Kithure Kindiki for trying to meddle in local politics.
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Speaking in Kakamega in his series of empowerment programmes, Kindiki expressly endorsed Governor Fernandes Barasa for reelection in 2027.
According to Kindiki, the county boss has lived up to the expectations of the Kakamega electorate three years into his election on an ODM ticket.
The deputy president petitioned the Kakamega voters to consider Barasa for a second term.
This did not augur well for Khalwale.
He fiercely got back at Kindiki during a function in Shimanyiro, Kakamega, on Saturday, July 26.
Can Kindiki advise Khalwale?
Khalwale declared that the deputy president doesn't have the right or know-how to advise who the Kakamega people should elect as their governor.
He further suggested that the deputy president is too politically inexperienced to counsel anyone.
"Professor Kindiki was here, and told everyone that he is now experienced, and that he can tell Kakamega people who will be their governor. He said that Barasa will go for two terms. He should know that he does not have the capacity to decide for the people of Kakamega," he said.
He further asked Kindiki to focus on challenging his predecessor, Rigathi Gachagua, in consolidating Mt Kenya region for President William Ruto's reelection.
Source: Twitter
Khalwale restated his strong hopes that he would be the next governor for Kakamega.
"If Gachagua has defeated you in Mt Kenya, we won't allow you to interfere in Kakamega to decide who wins and who doesn't. I am your senior. Boni Khalwale will be the governor of Kakamega in 2027," Khalwale said.
Elected on a UDA party ticket, the senator has lately been seen to dissent from the government.
Khalwale has turned out to be a chief critic of Ruto's regime, which he campaigned for spiritedly and defended thereafter.
How Khalalwale is strategising to win in 2027
His loyalty to the ruling party earned him the chief whip post in the Senate.
But after breaking away from Ruto's faction, the politician now has his political party, through which he intends to vie for the Kakamega governorship.
He launched his outfit earlier this month: the United Patriotic Movement (UPM).
Khalwale said the party has representatives across the country and will be centred on the agenda and wellness of the youth.
He implied his decision to quit UDA was informed by Ruto's open declaration that he would back Barasa in the 2027 elections.
His 2027 bid will be the second stab at the governorship after losing in 2017.
Khalwale was elected the first Kakamega senator in 2013, and later ran for the gubernatorial post in 2017 but was resoundingly defeated by former governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
He had purposed to vie in 2022, but the UDA party convinced him to shelve it in favour of then Kakamega senator Cleophas Malala.
Proofreading by Mercy Nyambura, copy editor at TUKO.co.ke.
Source: TUKO.co.ke
