A section of top Opposition chiefs are up in arms against what they consider as a condescending demand from former Saboti MP Eugene Wamalwa that his Democratic Alliance Party (DAP-K) be allowed to exclusively field a compromise candidate on behalf of the Alternative Government in the November 27 Malava parliamentary by-election.

It has emerged that a rigid Democratic Alliance Party of Kenya (DAP-K) leader Eugene Wamalwa is strongly opposed to the candidature of lawyer Edgar Busiega Mwanga who is vying on the ticket of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) of immediate former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The feud rocking the Opposition threatens to hand the ruling Kenya Kwanza Alliance an easy through pass to victory in the impending poll.

Already, drums of discord are already rending the air with embarrassing misunderstandings between different key players springing to the fore.

Reports from the sanctums of the United Opposition indicate that an adamant Wamalwa wants Gachagua and his party to drop their candidate and completely keep off the political affairs of Western Kenya and instead concentrate in his native Mt Kenya region where DCP is supposed to be domiciled

Wamalwa is reportedly demanding that the entire Opposition rallies behind the DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako, the outspoken secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) who emerged second in the 2022 General-Election.

Wamalwa’s position has triggered a commotion with the Opposition where the DCP top leadership is now at loggerheads with itself on one hand and on the other with members of the nascent alliance who feel the DAP-K position is not only pure blackmail but also intimidatory and divisive.

The DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malalah has come out to challenge Wamalwa’s position, arguing that the former Defence Minister is asking for too much on a matter that he has invested in very little, if not nothing.

While campaigning in Malava together with Busiega on Sunday, Malalah argued that Wamalwa is a resident of distant Trans-Nzoia county who basically leads what he termed as a Bukusu-dominated party and wants to impose a parliamentary candidate to the people of Malava in Kakamega county.

“We shall not allow Eugene Wamalwa to come all the way from Trans-Nzoia to choose a leader for us,” Malalah declared while addressing supporters at Samitsi market.

Malalah also took issue with the appointment of former Trade Minister Dr. Mukhisa Kituyi as the official spokesperson of the United Opposition, terming the move as unsuitable.

Utterances of the DCP Deputy Party Leader have ruffled feathers within the Opposition, forcing his boss Rigathi Gachagua and former Vice-President and Wiper Democrat Front leader Kalonzo Musyoka to publicly come to Kituyi’s defence.

The forthcoming by-election in Malava was occasioned by the demise of then MP Moses Malulu Injendi on February 17 this year.

Malulu was first elected to the National Assembly in 2013. He was a member of the Amani Nation’al Congress (ANC) serving his third term as a lawmaker.

Until September last year, ANC was led by the current Prime Cabinet Secretary and Cabinet Secretary for Foreign and Diaspora Affairs, Musalia Mudavadi.

Wamalwa also has a problem with his on deputy in the DAP-K, Trans-Nzoia Governor George Natembeya.The two have in the recent past been involved in a public spat, with the gubernatorial chief arguing that the former Water and Irrigation Minister was a stumbling block to the intended growth of the party which he has reportedly restricted within Bukusu corners in its leadership structure.

Natembeya skipped a DAP-K campaign tour of Malava last Friday while Wamalwa failed to join the party’s team led by the governor early last month.

In the 2022 General election, Panyako came second to Malulu while the ODM candidate Joab Manyasi came third. Manyasi is now running on the ticket of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).

Top United Opposition members are reportedly singing from different hymn books on the matter of Malava by-election, with the DAP-K apex leadership maintaining that their outfit be left to solely donate the compromise candidate.

DCP leader Gachagua, has yet to visit Malava since his return from the United States ago on a one-and-a-half months tour.

It is understood that his delayed trip to the constituency had been occasioned by Wamalwa’s persistent protestations.

Gachagua is reportedly seeking for consensus before he hits the ground running westwards.

However, in spite of Wamalwa’s insistence, some senior members of the United Opposition are reported to be having grave reservations over Panyako’s candidacy.

They are said to be concerned about Panyako’s low levels of anger management, irrational outbursts, intolerance and habitual defections streak.

They say the KNUN has over time exhibited characteristics of a lnon-team player, bigotry, unreliability and indecisiveness.

Panyako’s political darts in the recent past have left the United Opposition chiefs to place very little premium on the outspoken trade unionist.

They point at his back-and-forth wobbling since Malulu’s death six months ago.

Panyako first declared that he would take part in the by-election on the ticket of UDA.

But that was not to be. He soon changed his mind and moved DAP-K. But three weeks he switched allegiance to Ford Kenya where lasted for only one week.

He would then quit the party led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula to join the United Democratic Party (UDP) of Cyrus Jirongo. But he did not last there either. He soon returned to DAP-K where he currently is still based.

Busiega, Panyako and Manyasi are among the five candidates who have already secured party tickets to contest in the by-election.

The others are management consultant and former Kenya School of Government (KSG) lecturer Caleb Sunguti of the Roots Party headed by lawyer George Wajackoya and UDP’s Samuel Tsimbelwa Wesukari.

On the other hand, Kenya Kwanza has set a September 20 as the date for its nomination. The coalition has four aspirants, all seeking the coalition’s nod trough UDA party.

Early last month, another UDA candidate, Dr. Enock Andanje died. The former Bungoma High School principal was buried two weeks ago.

Presently seeking the UDA nomination are Malulu’s son Ryan Injendi, West Kabras Member of County Assembly (MCA) David Ndakwa, Kivaywa High School principal Simon Kangwana and lawyer Leonard Shimaka.

All attention is now on the top brass of United Opposition where it remains to be seen whether Wamalwa will have his day and force Gachagua to withdraw Busiega as the DCP candidate in the impending Malava by-election.