By DUNCAN WASWA
June 15, 2026| Fresh from a weekend of spirited rallies across Bungoma County, the opposition alliance has injected new energy into its political offensive in Western Kenya—training its fire on the Kenya Kwanza government over soaring living costs, turmoil in schools, and rising insecurity.
The United Opposition leaders kicked off their Sunday tour with a church service at St. Peters Kibabii, then swept through Chwele town in Kabuchai Constituency before winding up in Naitiri, Tongaren Constituency. Every stop brought fresh salvos against President William Ruto’s administration.
Former Interior CS Fred Matiang’i and Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya zeroed in on the education sector, which has been rocked by waves of student unrest in recent months. Natembeya argued that the Competency-Based Curriculum (CBC) remains poorly understood by key stakeholders—a confusion he says is deepening the sector’s crisis.
Matiang’i struck a reassuring tone, promising Kenyans that if entrusted with leadership in the next General Election, the opposition is ready to roll out sweeping education reforms. “We are ready to restore order and ensure the education system works for the benefit of every Kenyan child,” he said.
Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka turned up the heat on the government’s latest fuel price review, dismissing the 22-cent cut in petrol prices as tokenism. Despite a Sh10 reduction in diesel prices, he noted, essential goods remain painfully expensive. “The government must offer practical solutions to the high cost of living—not symbolic gestures that change nothing for ordinary citizens,” Kalonzo said.
Former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, now a rising force within the opposition, accused the government of failing to protect citizens. He took Interior CS Kipchumba Murkomen to task over the alleged disruption of a church event Gachagua had attended, claiming the suspects are known but have not been prosecuted. “Accountability will come,” Gachagua warned, should the opposition form the next government.
As the Western Kenya tour wrapped up, opposition leaders sought to convince residents that the Kenya Kwanza administration has broken its promises—and that a leadership change is overdue. Still, a big question lingers: who will eventually emerge as the opposition’s presidential flag bearer to challenge Ruto in 2027?
Not everyone is convinced. Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa dismissed the tour as all noise and no substance. Speaking at a rival gathering in Nyange, Kanduyi Constituency, Barasa accused the opposition of peddling ethnic politics. He said Gachagua failed to unite Kenyans while in government and is ill-suited to offer alternative leadership. “The opposition has no development agenda—only tribal politics,” Barasa charged.
He expressed confidence that the opposition won’t derail President Ruto’s bid for a second term in 2027. “If they can’t make real inroads in Bungoma, how will they manage nationally?” he asked.
With the 2027 elections drawing closer, Western Kenya is fast becoming a political hot zone—and both the ruling coalition and the opposition are fighting hard for every vote.