Atwoli offers to reconcile Natembeya, Mudavadi and Wetang'ula

 Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli. [Wilberforce Okwiri, Standard]

Plans are in top gear to reconcile Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya with key political leaders in Western.

The Central Organisation of Trade Unions (Cotu) Secretary General Francis Atwoli has offered to reconcile the combative governor with Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi and the National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula.

Natembeya has been on the warpath accusing Mudavadi and Wetang'ula of failure to emancipate the region from poverty, unemployment and economic turmoil.

He claimed that the two leaders have failed to improve the living standards of the people despite serving in government and holding elective positions in the past.

The governor challenged Mudavadi and Wetang'ula to exit and pave the way for young and visionary leaders to show the region leadership.

Natembeya has since unveiled a movement christened Tawe (which loosely translates to NO) meant to pile pressure on the Speaker and Prime Cabinet Secretary to quit politics.

But Atwoli believes there is room to reconcile the governor and the two senior political leaders in Western.

The Cotu boss argues that Natembeya could make a good leader in the future but he must respect the current crop of leaders from the region led by Mudavadi who is former Vice President and former Deputy Prime Minister.

He said Western has no leadership vacuum as far as the politics of Mulembe Nation is concerned and urged the governor to show leadership.

“As an elder, I will look for our son, Governor Natembeya, I will listen to him and vice versa, he might be our future leader but not now. We want to sit down with him and show him the right way to go, we will show him the gate to follow or open as opposed to what he is doing and I know we will agree with each other,” said Atwoli at a funeral in Ikolomani constituency on Saturday.

“Slowly by slowly we will engage him and show him the right way and that is not a big worry, we have leaders and we have no vacuum of leadership in Western, and our leaders are doing very well. Mudavadi is doing very well and should continue doing so,” he added.

Nonetheless, Atwoli has downplayed talks of a split in Western saying the region is united and Bukhungu lll is in the pipeline.

“I have seen and heard people writing fake news about Kakamega lll instead of Bukhungu lll.  Our meeting will be at Bukhungu Stadium in Kakamega town and we will resolve that anyone who wants to be elected must move closer to our leaders,” he said.

“We are going to extend our support and friendship from other regions and the one (leader) whom we will place our hands on is the one who will be elected as a leader in this country and this will follow after wide consultation with our leaders led by Mudavadi,” he said

Natembeya’s attacks on Mudavadi and Wetang'ula have elicited mixed reactions, especially in Western.

In Trans Nzoia, Tawe movement appears to be gaining momentum as the governor nurses the dream of changing the status quo in Western politics.

Speaking in Kitale on Friday, Natembeya said the people of Western must reject Mudavadi and Wetangula's leadership if they desire to achieve political and economic stability.

“I heard the two leaders saying that they have been in politics for over 60 years combined and that I should respect them and stop insults, I don’t think I am insulting anyone, what I am saying is the truth,” he said.

“The pair (Mudavadi and Wetang'ula) are a burden to our people and they use our region to benefit themselves, as a community we are tired of propelling them further as the majority of our people continue to suffer, therefore it is time to drop the burden they have subjected us to so that we can move forward and benefit. We need a leader who can tell the government the truth because the two have failed,” he added.

The governor is expected in Kakamega this week to popularise his Tawe movement.

Natembeya has plans to traverse the five Western counties in a bid to sustain his onslaught against  Mudavadi and Wetang'ula.

His mission is similar to the push by DAP-K leader Eugene Wamalwa and former Kakamega Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in the run-up to the 2022 General Elections that saw them crisscross Western urging locals to reject the Prime Cabinet Secretary and Speaker.

Wamalwa and Oparanya's efforts hit a brick wall after Mudavadi and Wetang'ula opted to join forces with President William Ruto under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.