It is now a matter of all-systems-go for Kakamega County Assembly member David Athman Ndakwa after he towered over rivals within the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) to grab the nomination to run for the Malava parliamentary by-election slated for November 27.

The seat was left vacant following the death of area MP Moses Malulu Injendi’ on February 17 this year.

Ndakwa, the Kabras West Member of County Assembly (MCA) who – like Malulu – was re-elected in 2022 on the Amani National Congress (ANC) ticket is now considered the runaway front-runner in the impending mini-poll after he triumphed over three other aspirants to secure the ruling party’s candidature.

In the last Saturday UDA nomination, Ndakwa obtained 6, 477 votes ahead of Malulu’s son, Ryan Injendi’, who managed 3, 783 .

Lawyer Leonard Shimaka got 1, 192 votes whereas former Kivaywa High School Principal Simon Kangwana registered 1, 064 votes.

Ndakwa will now face seven opponents from rival parties who were handed direct tickets from their outfits and have been campaigning since April.

They are the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) secretary-general, Seth Ambusini Panyako, of the Democratic Alliance Party of Kenya (DAP-K), former Kenya School of Government (KSG) lecturer Caleb Sunguti from Roots Party, lawyer Edgar Busiega of the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) and Joab Manyasi of the Democratic National Alliance (DNA).

Also in the race are Dr. Enock Makanga on a Jubilee Party ticket, one Samuel Tsimbwela Wesukarii of the United Democratic Party (UDP) and Benjamin Nalwa of the National Ordinary People Empowerment (NOPEU).

Ahead of that battle, Ndakwa has the Herculean task to rally the three other aspirants and their supporters who lost the nomination to enable him stage a formidable challenge against the opposing sextet in the November by-election.

Ryan, his closest competitor has since conceded defeat and pledged to still support the Kenya Kwanza administration, though he was not clear on whether he would campaign for Ndakwa.

On their part, Shimaka and Kangwana have gone mute, leaving the electorate on the guessing line as regards their next course of action.

On paper, Ndakwa rates as the pack-leader, and foregone front-runner in the contest.Experience a side, it goes without saying that the State machinery will henceforth be deployed on the ground to bolster his campaigns , a move that would give him an advantage over other contestants.

Still, the civic leader hails from the Bashuu clan, the most populous among the Kabras sub-tribe. Should his entire ethnic group rally solidly behind him, then the Kabras West ward representative will have a headstart in the campaigns.

His chances would be boosted further should Shimaka, who too is from the densely populated Bashuu clan opt to back him.

What is more, Ndakwa is a close ally of Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavad who has considerable following and respect in the constituency.

In 2022, he was re-elected on the ticket of the Amani National Congress (ANC), a party then headed by Mudavadi but which has since folded and merged with President William Ruto’s UDA.

Were ethnic numeracy to count, then Ndakwa’s main challenger will be advocate Busiega who hails from the second most populous clan, Basonje.Backed by his party leader, immediate former Deputy President Geoffrey Rigathi Gachagua, Busiega is probably the most financially endowed candidate in the campaigns, an edge that can only be toppled by UDA’s Ndakwa should the party throw its might behind him.

The late Malulu was elected on the ANC banner. He too hailed from the Basonje clan. His son, Ryan, will be a factor of note in the coming days as he could make matters easier for either Ndakwa or Busiega, depending on who he opts to back.

Apart from Busiega, Panyako and Sunguti also pose a reasonable challenge. Both come from the Baton clan, the third in number after Bashuu and Basonje respectively. They have both participated in previous General-Elections in which they lost to Malulu.Panyako was the runners-up in 2022 while Manyasi took second position in 2017.

Panyako’s temperaments and indecisiveness have emerged as major points of debate in the by-election.

His sharp, others call it loose, tongue is viewed in some quarters as detrimental to area’s politics that calls for cool-headedness and humility as exemplified by the late Malulu and his predecessor, Soita Shitanda.

Since Malulu’s demise, Panyako has been changing political parties at the slightest provocation, leaving his principles in question.

Soon after Malulu’s death, Panyako declared that he would contest the vacant seat on a UDA ticket.He was, however, to drift away and join DAP-K where he stayed for one month before going to Ford Kenya, a party led by National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetangula.Panyako stayed in Ford Kenya for only one week before decamping to the United Democratic Party (UDP). He left the Cyrus Jirongo-led outfit after one month to rejoin DAP-K.Panyako’s circular waffling from one political entity to the other within a very short time has etched a mark of inconsistency in his political career which he will need to strongly shrug off during the campaigns.

Panyako’s word are not few. His DAP-K party is also in total turmoil. The party is wobbling on the brim of disintegration with Party Leader Eugene Wamalwa and his more popular deputy George Natembeya who is also the Governor of Trans-Nzoia embroiled in a fierce tussle over the leadership of the outfit.

The two do not meet eye to eye. Each of them have separately gone to Malava to campaign for Panyako, a matter that has left the otherwise popular candidate seriously exposed

Elsewhere, the internal party feud a side, Wamalwa is reportedly demanding that the entire Opposition rallies behind the DAP-K candidate Seth Panyako. That demand has left him at loggerheads with Gachagua who believes his candidate stands a better chance to clinch the Malava seat.

Wamalwa’s adamant position has elicited friction within the Opposition where the DCP top leadership feels slighted by the claim by the former Defence Cabinet Secretary that the party belongs to the Mt. Kenya region and therefore has no business fielding a candidate in the Western part of the country.

Former Kakamega senator and DCP Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malalah has come out to tell off Wamalwa, stating that the former Saboti MP is asking for too much on a matter that he has invested very little, if not nothing, in

All attention is now on UDA’s Ndakwa who now has to confront the six candidates drawn from the United Opposition where it remains to be seen whether Wamalwa will have his day and force Gachagua to withdraw the DCP candidate in the Malava by-election or not.If anything, the contest to replace Malulu has just started..