Editor's Review

Wamalwa emphasized that the coalition had established a data-driven approach to candidate selection.

DAP-K Party leader Eugene Wamalwa has broken his silence on the escalating tensions between his deputy party leader, George Natembeya, and DCP's Cleophas Malala, revealing that the disagreement stems from candidate selection disputes in the ongoing by-elections.

Wamalwa sought to downplay the growing rift within the United Opposition, attributing the friction to procedural challenges in determining the strongest candidates to represent the coalition in various constituencies.

"Natembeya is my deputy party leader and the governor of my home county. At the same time, Cleophas Malala is Gachagua's deputy party leader in the DCP party. The two clashed a little because of a small disagreement regarding the Kisa East by-elections," Wamalwa explained.

Tensions have been simmering within the United Opposition as member parties navigate the complex arrangements ahead of the November by-elections.

The opposition coalition had adopted a strategic approach of fielding the most viable candidates from their constituent parties in different regions to maximize their chances of victory. This arrangement has seen parties making tactical withdrawals to support stronger candidates from sister organizations.

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However, the implementation of this strategy has exposed fault lines, particularly between the DCP and the DAP-K, with senior leaders openly trading accusations of betrayal and dishonesty.

Addressing these tensions, Wamalwa provided insight into the coalition's candidate selection process, revealing that incomplete opinion polling was at the heart of the Kisa East disagreement.

He emphasized that the coalition had established a data-driven approach to candidate selection.
"We did opinion polls in the regions participating in the by-elections, and we would leave the stronger candidate to represent the united opposition. But in Kisa East, we had not completed the opinion polls to determine the stronger candidate."

According to Wamalwa, this incomplete polling process created the confusion that led to the clash between the two deputy party leaders.

The current dispute centers on the Kisa East ward by-election in Kakamega County.

According to the original arrangement, DCP was supposed to field a candidate in this contest as reciprocation for withdrawing its candidate in the Malava parliamentary by-election to support DAP-K's nominee.

DCP deputy leader Cleophas Malala in Kisa East.


Despite this agreement, Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya, who serves as DAP-K's deputy party leader, has insisted that his party must field its own candidate in Kisa East, effectively undermining the prior arrangement with DCP.

This decision prompted a furious response from former Kakamega Senator Cleophas Malala, who serves as DCP's deputy party leader. Malala accused Natembeya of being ‘morally wrong’ and working to ‘rock the boat from inside’ the opposition coalition.

In particularly explosive remarks, Malala went so far as to claim that Natembeya had been compromised by the government, alleging that he had been paid by the state and contracted through the National Intelligence Service (NIS) to sabotage the opposition.

"The government has seen that the United Opposition will sweep these seats, it has taken one of us, George Natembeya, and splurged monies on him so that he can undermine our efforts so that the government can win. He has come all the way from Trans Nzoia to Kakamega to sow division," Malala stated in his attack on the governor.

Despite the public spat, Wamalwa revealed that efforts are underway to resolve the dispute and refocus the coalition on its primary objective of winning the by-elections.