OPARANYA MUST STOP HIS JEALOUSY ON HON TINDI'S THIRD TERM.

Oparanya was a two term MP for Butere and is itching not to have the record broken. He wants to plant puppets who he can control as he did to Andrew Toboso.

There comes a time in every politician’s career when experience should teach them the difference between political leadership and political control.

Wycliffe Ambetsa Oparanya has been around Kenyan politics long enough to understand this distinction. From his days as Butere MP to his tenure as Kakamega governor and his subsequent role in national politics, Oparanya has earned his place in the history of Western Kenya politics.

But that history should also come with a lesson: the voters must always have the last word.

This is why the apparent political contest over Butere MP Tindi Mwale’s quest for a third term deserves scrutiny.

Mwale should be allowed to present himself to the people of Butere and ask for their support. Whether he deserves another term should not be determined in political boardrooms, by influential individuals or through the wishes of political heavyweights.

It should be determined at the ballot box.

There is nothing unusual about an incumbent seeking re-election. 

It is the very essence of representative democracy. A politician who believes he has served the people well has every right to seek another mandate—and his opponents have an equal right to campaign against him.

KAKAMEGA Governor HE Fernandes Barasa inspecting Shathsala market. He has come out to defend Butere MP against threats from Oparanya. 

The voters then make the judgment.

If Mwale has disappointed them, Butere voters have the power to retire him. If they believe he has delivered, they can give him another opportunity.

Simple.

The problem begins when political leaders assume that because they have influence, they should also determine who gets to occupy an elective seat.

Butere is bigger than any individual politician.

Oparanya represented the constituency for years. He knows the aspirations, frustrations and political character of its people. He should therefore be among the first to defend their right to choose freely.

Indeed, his own political journey offers an important reminder. Oparanya did not become a national political figure because somebody appointed him the people's representative. He repeatedly went before voters and asked them to give him their mandate.

Why should that principle be different for Tindi Mwale?

Political succession should not be a matter of one generation deciding who is allowed to rise. It should be about voters deciding who has earned their confidence.

Minister Whyclife Oparanya has resorted to night meetings back biting current leaders and sending threats to most green horn MPs to abandon Governor Barasa. 

Western Kenya does not need political gatekeepers. It needs leaders who are prepared to compete on ideas, development records and integrity.

If Oparanya believes Mwale has failed Butere, he should say so openly and let the voters judge the competing records. If there is a better candidate, let that candidate make the case to the electorate.

But attempting to prevent Mwale from seeking a third term risks sending the wrong message: that political careers are determined by powerful patrons rather than ordinary voters.

That is not the democracy Kenyans fought for.

The people of Butere are perfectly capable of deciding their own political future.

They do not need Oparanya—or anyone else—to decide for them.

Hon Oparanya Must let Butere breathe. Let Tindi Mwale run. Let the people listen. Let the people compare. And, ultimately, let the people decide.

After all, the ballot belongs to the voter—not the political godfather.

ENDS.