Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has stirred political debate after alleging that he was pressured in 2022 to withdraw from the Kakamega gubernatorial race, a move he says ultimately paved the way for Governor Fernandes Barasa’s election amid lingering corruption allegations linked to his former role at KETRACO.
In a statement shared publicly, Khalwale claimed that the decision to step aside was influenced by political negotiations involving President William Ruto and senior Kenya Kwanza allies Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula during the formation of the current political alignment.
“In 2022, I succumbed to pressure from William Ruto so as to massage the egos of Musalia Mudavadi and Hon Wetangula, who then had refused to support WSR for President unless he forced me to step down from the Kakamega gubernatorial contest,” Khalwale stated.
He added that the outcome of those negotiations altered Kakamega’s political trajectory, allowing Barasa, who previously served as Chief Executive Officer of the Kenya Electricity Transmission Company Limited (KETRACO), to ascend to office.
“It paved the way for an incorrigible prince of corruption who had honed his uncouth skills at KETRACO to be the governor. Now Kakamega County is on its knees! Ipo siku..” he added.
Khalwale’s remarks come at a time when Barasa’s tenure continues to attract political scrutiny over allegations tied to his former role at KETRACO, where Parliament and anti-corruption agencies previously examined disputed payments and alleged irregular financial transactions linked to major energy infrastructure projects.
In 2022, the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) questioned Barasa over allegations involving payment discrepancies connected to the Lake Turkana Wind Power project, with investigators and parliamentary committees probing how billions of shillings in compensation and contractual payments were handled during his leadership at KETRACO.
At the time, Members of Parliament sitting in oversight committees also raised concerns about accountability in transmission projects, including claims of inflated compensation for wayleave acquisition and questionable payment channels.
Barasa, however, has consistently denied wrongdoing, maintaining that all processes were conducted within the law and under established procurement and financial regulations.
The latest remarks by Khalwale have now re-ignited political debate in Kakamega, bringing back memories of the 2022 election realignments that reshaped leadership contests in Western Kenya.