Oparanya, the last Azimio man standing in Kakamega
Former Kakamega governor Wycliffe Oparanya.
Despite being jolted by the outcome of the August 9, 2022, elections, former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya has remained steadfast in his support for Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition leader Raila Odinga.
Before the elections, Mr Oparanya had been bubbling with enthusiasm as he prepared to take up his new job as the man to head the National Treasury, if the Azimio team had clinched victory at the elections.
Mr Odinga had promised that he would appoint Mr Oparanya to the position if he won the elections and formed the next government.
However, things did not go according to plan, after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) declared the elections had been won by President William Ruto, dashing hopes of Mr Oparanya being appointed Cabinet secretary for the National Treasury.
But rather than take a break from political campaigns, Mr Oparanya has remained vocal in his support for Mr Odinga, as leaders in the Western region abandoned the opposition chief one by one and declared their support for President Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza administration.
The former Kakamega governor who is nursing ambitions to contest the presidency in 2027 said he now had adequate time to focus on uniting communities in western.
In his onslaught against the President Ruto and the Kenya Kwanza administration, Mr Oparanya appears to be fighting for the possibility of emerging as the foremost politician in western region as he positions himself to seek the backing of Mr Odinga to contest the presidency in 2027.
In a video clip that was widely shared on social media, Mr Oparanya told mourners in November last year at funeral in Kakamega County that he had sacrificed a lot to support Mr Odinga in the past and the time had come for the ODM leader to reciprocate by backing him for presidency in 2027.
He further said that the disunity among leaders in Western region was working to the disadvantage of the Mulembe nation.
Mr Oparanya then jokingly said: “If Raila fails to back me in 2027, it will be difficult for him to enter heaven because of the sacrifice I have made to ensure he clinches the presidency.”
In his Kakamega backyard, Mr Oparanya, who steered the Azimio team campaigns in Western, helped secure the political fortunes of members of Parliament, including those who were elected on ANC and Jubilee tickets in 2017, by ensuring they were handed direct nomination certificates to seek re-election on ODM ticket in last year’s elections.
But after MPs were re-elected, a number of them have embraced Ruto’s administration, saying they needed to be close to the government to ensure the electorate in their regions benefit from development.
The ODM lawmakers who have declared their support for President Ruto and his Kenya Kwanza administration are Emmanuel Wangwe (Navakholo), Bernard Shinali (Ikolomani) and Titus Khamala (Lurambi).
MPs Peter Nabulindo (Matungu) and Christopher Aseka have remained steadfast in their support for ODM, while Mr Tindi Mwale (Butere) has kept a low profile since his re-election.
Despite the political shifts in the region, Mr Oparanya —the ODM deputy leader — has remained firm about his support for Mr Odinga and campaigns by the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition for mass action to push President Ruto and his administration to address the high cost living and electoral injustice.
Mr Odinga is further demanding that the IEBC servers be opened for scrutiny, claiming he won the August 9, 2023 elections.
The opposition chief and his Azimio team are pushing to halt the ongoing recruitment of new electoral commissioners.
But just what is Mr Oparanya’s game plan?
The former Kakamega governor had in November last year complained about schemes within Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition to shortchange western region politically, in remarks that drew criticism from party officials.
There was speculation at the time, indicating that Mr Oparanya could be preparing ground to jump ship to UDA.
But Mr Oparanya ruled out working with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi in his quest to unite Mulembe nation.
He said the tension in Azimio at the time had been triggered by schemes to shortchange western region politically.
He told Mr Mudavadi, who had met leaders from western region in Nairobi at the time, to stop pretending that he could offer solutions to the many challenges communities were facing.
“Is this the first time Musalia has joined government. In fact, he has been in politics and government much longer than me but what has he achieved? This is the question we should be asking him,” said Mr Oparanya.
The former governor announced that he was planning a meeting of leaders from the region to chart the way forward for the Mulembe nation.
Mr Oparanya had asked voters to punish Mr Mudavadi and Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula who was then Bungoma senator by rejecting Kenya Kwanza.
During the campaigns, Mr Oparanya told voters in western to back Mr Odinga, saying Kenya Kwanza had nothing to offer the region. [email protected]
