Moses Wetangu'la Sets Bold Goal: Turning 600K Bungoma Votes into a Million

• Moses Wetangula, the Ford Kenya party leader and National Assembly Speaker, has initiated a program aimed at increasing voter registration among residents of Bungoma ahead of the 2027 General Election.
• The speaker met with Bungoma's political leaders and chiefs, appealing to them to assist in boosting the vote tally from 600,000 to 1 million.
• Wetangula contended that political figures and traditional rulers should leverage their authority to facilitate greater access to National IDs for individuals, thereby enabling them to register as voters.

The Speaker of the National Assembly, Moses Wetang'ula, has initiated campaigns to motivate Bungoma residents to get registered as voters in preparation for the 2027 elections.

In what ways can Wetang'ula boost voter registration numbers in Bungoma?

Wetang'ula has brought in local officials to assist in rallying the community to acquire identity cards as part of the preparations for voter registration.

While speaking in Bungoma County, he appealed to political figures and chiefs to guarantee that residents can be excluded from the rigorous screening procedures required when obtaining National IDs.

He encouraged leaders and officials to motivate everyone with identification documents to sign up for voter registration, targeting an expansion in the number of registered voters from more than 600,000 to one million.

The speaker stated that there is no reason why Bungoma shouldn’t have at least 1 million registered voters, considering it is the third-largest county in the nation.

Wetang’ula additionally encouraged chiefs and their assistants to utilize their influence to motivate young people to acquire IDs and register as voters in anticipation of the 2027 General Election.

He encouraged them to increase their efforts and make sure that all qualifying citizens receive the crucial documentation.

"I completely endorse the president's instruction to eliminate the verification process for identity card applications. This directive applies not only to the residents of the Northeastern area but to all citizens across the nation," he stated additionally.

The Speaker pointed out that the order eliminated the colonial-era limitations that made obtaining an ID difficult.

He mentioned that the administration plans to distribute ID issuance centers more widely to expedite the acquisition of these documents.

"He mentioned that they met with the president, who concurred that the administration would delegate additional responsibilities related to identification card distribution—excluding printing—to expedite procedures and guarantee timely delivery of documents to applicants," he stated.

The Speaker encouraged Members of Parliament and County Assembly Members present to assist in boosting voter registration by making sure more residents acquire identification cards.

Concerning the halted road initiatives within the county, the Speaker advised the assembly that an additional allocation of Sh1.5 billion has been included in the supplementary budget to finalize these projects.

Is the Nzoia Sugar Company going to be leased?

The speaker of the National Assembly also tackled the financial issues at Nzoia Sugar Company, noting that the Kenya Kwanza administration has found a prospective tenant interested in leasing the firm.

I encourage farmers who depended on the sugar mill for income to disregard criticisms against the plans and remember that local leaders in the Nyanza area have supported leasing Sony, Miwani, Muhoroni, and Chemelil sugar mills.

Wetang'ula indicated that the incoming investor must settle all pending obligations owed to both employees and sugar cane growers, as well as provide a brand-new machinery for processing sugarcane.

He anticipates that the investor will guarantee farmers receive an additional six percent of their wages as bonuses.

He further stated that the incentive programs initiated by the president for the farmers ought to be adopted by the new investor for the benefit of the farming community.

He encouraged farmers to look into coffee cultivation, highlighting the rise in prices from KSh 50 per kilogram to KSh 114.

Once more, he urged the leaders to intensify their efforts in promoting the registration for the new healthcare program, SHA, so that most community members could enroll and gain access to benefits when receiving medical care.

Governor Kenneth Luska guided Members of Parliament in endorsing the lease agreement for the Nzoia Sugar mill, emphasizing that this step was crucial to extricating the facility from its fiscal challenges.

Backing statements made by Wetangula and Lusaka, Bungoma Senator Wafula Wakoli endorsed the government’s decision to allocate resources for finishing incomplete road projects as a step in the right direction.

"The finish of these incomplete road projects would unlock the area for development and simplify the transportation of individuals and commodities across the region," he mentioned additionally.

The other Members of Parliament supporting the lease of the factory were John Chikati from Tongaren, John Makali from Kanduyi, Martin Pepela from Webuye East, and Didmus Barasa from Kiminini.

The chairpersons of the MCAs at the gathering were County Assembly Speaker Emanuel Situma and Majority Leader Joseph Nyongesa.

Was Wetang'ula campaigning for Azimio at Ruto's rally?

Previously, Wetangula was involved in an uncomfortable situation when he accidentally campaigned for Azimio at Ruto's rally.

While speaking to Kenya Kwanza Alliance supporters in Nakuru, the party leader mistakenly encouraged them to back Azimio but corrected his statement shortly after.

At the pre-2022 General Election rally, Ruto said that Kenya Kwanza aimed to bring people together and generate prosperity for all residents of Nakuru.

Narrative by Tony Wafula, .co.ke correspondent