Former Kakamega Senator Bonnie Khalwale has claimed that his triumph entry to a funeral at Ikolomani on Sunday forced former Vice President Musalia Mudavadi to cut short his speech.
Dr Khalwale, who intends to succeed Governor Wycliffe Oparanya, has projected himself as major campaign coordinator for Deputy President William Ruto in the expansive Western region despite resistance from a section of local leaders who believe that Mudavadi remains the kingpin from the region.
In the video posted on his Twitter, Khalwale is seen making an entry as excited supporters break into songs, escorting him to the main dais where several leaders among them Mudavadi and Francis Atwoli had taken positions already.
"Ooh! The Abaluhyia people! This is today when I shared a platform with @MusaliaMudavadi (who was forced to cut his speech short) at the burial of his uncle Elam Lumwaji. Their love for me can kill!" he wrote on Twitter.
Lumwaji, the deceased, was a long time personal assistant to former powerful minister Moses Mudavadi, the father to Musalia Mudavadi. He, however, happened to come from Ikolomani constituency, where Khalwale served as an MP.
While Khalwale maintains Luhyas cannot ascend to power without the help of other communities, Mudavadi has in the past dismissed such debate as a narrative that is meant to hoodwink the people of Western Kenya by political brokers.
He has insisted that the region remains united despite persistent divergent opinions from local leaders particularly Khalwale has now rallied behind a section of local leaders to support Dr Ruto for Presidency.
"Unfortunately, the purveyors of this erroneous narrative of ‘Luhyas are not united’ are our own political leaders whenever they pontificate for our competitors,” observes Mudavadi.
For the last few months, Khalwale has often accompanied Ruto to the Western region with the latest trip being on Friday where they toured Navakholo and Lurambi constituencies along with several MPs.