Natembeya Hit Maker's Defection Exposes Cracks in Governor's 2027 Re-election Bid

By Kepher Otieno - Reporter

Kenya, 26 December 2025 - The political ground in Trans Nzoia appears increasingly unstable for Governor George Natembeya as he prepares for a re-election bid in 2027.

The latest setback comes with the defection of Godricks Wanyonyi, the musician and producer behind the popular 2022 campaign anthem “Natembeya Unapendwa,” who has now crossed over to the camp of Kiminini MP Maurice Kakai Bisau.

Wanyonyi’s move is symbolically significant.

During the 2022 elections, his song became one of the most recognisable campaign tools for Natembeya, capturing the liberation narrative of the governor’s Ukombozi Manifesto and helping to mobilise grassroots support across the county. At the time, Wanyonyi worked closely with Natembeya’s campaign team, performing at rallies and branding the then-candidate as a populist reformer determined to free Trans Nzoia from poverty and elite capture.

Three years later, the relationship has soured.

Speaking after officially joining Bisau’s Fungua Movement, Wanyonyi said his decision was driven by disappointment with Natembeya’s leadership and what he termed a failure to translate campaign rhetoric into tangible outcomes.

“It is true, I have chosen a new future, one free from false hope, and anchored on leadership that delivers real service to the people of Trans Nzoia,” Wanyonyi said.

“The Trans Nzoia we are in today is not the Trans Nzoia I envisioned when I sang ‘Natembeya Unapendwa'."

The musician framed his defection not as political opportunism but as a moral reckoning. He revisited the lyrics of the song that helped propel Natembeya to power, noting that they were intended as both a message from the people and a commitment expected from the governor.

“The lines 'Kumutambo kukhumala, Engunyi Ekhumala’(poverty is finishing us, abject poverty is killing us) were not mere lyrics,” Wanyonyi explained.

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“They were a plea—and a pledge—to Governor George Natembeya to place service delivery above everything else.”

Wanyonyi’s public disillusionment also touches on a long-standing expectation among Natembeya’s early allies. Many supporters believed that individuals who played visible roles during the campaign—including cultural influencers like Wanyonyi—would be incorporated into the county’s governance or advisory structures after Natembeya took office in October 2022. That did not happen, feeding quiet resentment among some members of the Tawe Movement.

“Today, I speak with a sad soul, but also as a citizen who still believes that leadership must be about the people, not promises,” Wanyonyi said, describing Natembeya as a let-down to the electorate that trusted his liberation message.

From Natembeya’s camp, however, the defection is being downplayed. Some insiders argue that while Wanyonyi’s exit carries symbolic weight, it does not fundamentally alter the governor’s political standing or grassroots support. They insist that Natembeya’s record in office, rather than individual defections, will define his re-election prospects.

Nonetheless, Wanyonyi’s move comes amid broader unease within the Tawe Movement.

Reports of a growing exodus—driven by mistrust of the movement’s internal direction and discomfort with Natembeya’s abrasive political style—suggest deeper challenges ahead.

As the 2027 race slowly takes shape, the defection of a figure so closely associated with Natembeya’s original campaign narrative may serve as an early warning: the message that once united supporters may no longer be enough to hold them together.