- Kimilili MP Didmas Barasa publicly broke ranks with FORD-Kenya leader Moses Wetang'ula over Bungoma county politics
- Barasa accused Wetang'ula of tacitly backing his brother Tim Wanyonyi's opposition-aligned camp while standing with the President nationally
- The MP announced he would consolidate UDA as his political vehicle ahead of his 2027 gubernatorial bid in Bungoma
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Amos Khaemba is a Current Affairs Editor at TUKO.co.ke, covering political and world news. Khaemba has over four years of journalism experience and joined TUKO.co.ke in 2022.
Bungoma - Kimilili Member of Parliament Didmas Barasa has formally cut ties with National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula, citing irreconcilable differences over local political direction in Bungoma County.
Source: Facebook
In a statement released on Monday, Barasa said the split was the product of careful reflection and broad consultation, and was driven by principle rather than personal grievance.
He acknowledged a shared national vision with Wetang'ula but insisted the two had fundamentally divergent approaches to Bungoma's political future.
Barasa's case against Wetang'ula
Central to Barasa's grievance is what he described as dual political allegiance on Wetang'ula's part. The MP accused the FORD-Kenya leader of publicly backing President William Ruto's broad-based government at the national level while quietly enabling the opposition-aligned camp of his brother, Tim Wanyonyi.
Wanyonyi has publicly declared his support for Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna's presidential bid.
"The growing perception that Rt. Hon. Wetang'ula is tacitly supporting his brother, Hon. Tim Wanyonyi, and the opposition formation to which he is aligned, while publicly standing with the President at the national level, constitutes a serious conflict of interest and a case of dual political allegiance," Barasa said.
He further claimed that FORD-Kenya grassroots structures in Bungoma, particularly at the MCA level, were operating as extensions of Tim Wanyonyi's political machinery, with Wetang'ula's implicit blessing.
Barasa argued this arrangement made continued association with Wetang'ula a structural liability, one that risked siphoning political support towards an opposing formation.
Barasa also took issue with Wetang'ula's style of political endorsement, accusing him of hand-picking candidates based on personal loyalty rather than merit. He described this approach using the Luhya phrase "esimbo yemukongo," loosely meaning one personally chosen for protection, and contrasted it with his own preference for open, competitive democratic processes.
"Bungoma is not a monarchy. It is a democracy premised on merit, competition, and the sovereign will of the people, not hereditary succession," Barasa said.
UDA consolidation and 2027 ambitions
Despite the political rupture, Barasa was categorical that his commitment to President Ruto and the broad-based government agenda remained intact. The split, he argued, was local in character and did not affect his national alignment.
He said going forward he would focus on building UDA's grassroots footprint in Bungoma, which he identified as the vehicle for his 2027 gubernatorial campaign.
He also indicated openness to alliances with like-minded local parties and elected leaders from FORD-Kenya who share his opposition to dynastic politics.
Barasa also alleged that Wetang'ula, while custodian of a 30% share under a signed memorandum of understanding, had distributed the bulk of those allocations to close family members, with the remainder spread across the country under the guise of running a national party. He described this as a gross mismanagement of the arrangement.
Source: TUKO.co.ke