Lugari MP Nabii Nabwera is steadily assembling a coalition of ward representatives who, only months ago, stood firmly in the camp of his fiercest rival, Kakamega Governor Fernandes Barasa.
The shift became impossible to ignore on Saturday, when four of the constituency’s six MCAs turned up alongside Nabwera at St. Cecelia Girls Senior School in Mautuma for a special mass held for the school’s 2026 KCSE candidates.
Their joint appearance was more than ceremonial; it was a public signal that the ground beneath Lugari’s political landscape is moving and moving in Nabwera’s favor.
Standing with the first-term legislator were Mautuma MCA Charles Anyona, Lugari MCA Grey Moi, Chekalini MCA Titus Kwoma, and Chevaywa MCA Barlex Samuel Juma Pius—all once counted among Governor Barasa’s most reliable local allies.
From allies to adversaries of the governor
The Saturday gathering did not emerge in isolation. It followed closely on the heels of a press conference at which all the six MCAs drawn from Lugari broke publicly with Barasa, accusing the governor of mismanagement and declaring their intention to chart an independent political course.
That declaration now appears to have been the opening move in a broader defection toward Nabwera’s camp, with Saturday’s school event serving as the first visible show of unity between the MP and his newfound allies.
For Nabwera, who is still establishing himself after a single term in office, the timing could hardly be better. Local political muscle in Kenya is often measured not by parliamentary seats alone but by the strength of ward-level networks—and MCAs, with their grassroots reach, are typically decisive in shaping how a constituency votes.
Securing even a handful of them well ahead of the 2027 race hands Nabwera a considerable head start.
Two MCAs still undecided
Not every ward leader has committed. Attention is now fixed on Lumakanda Ward MCA Benard Mulama and Lwandeti Ward MCA Dan Mukhwami, both of whom have already distanced themselves from Barasa but have stopped short of formally aligning with Nabwera.
Their eventual decision could determine whether the MP secures a clean sweep of Lugari’s six wards or is left negotiating from a slightly weaker position.
