The era of the "regional kingpin" is gasping its last breath. In a political landscape rapidly shifting beneath our feet, the assumption that Western Kenya can be delivered on a silver platter by a few Nairobi-based power brokers is not just arrogant—it is a fatal miscalculation.

For decades, the "Mulembe Nation" has been treated as a monolithic vote basket, traded in the boardrooms of Upper Hill by intermediaries who claim to hold the keys to the region’s heart. These "layers" of leadership—the self-appointed gatekeepers and political merchants—have long shielded the electorate from direct engagement. But as we march toward 2027, the ground in Kakamega, Bungoma, and Vihiga is shifting. The people are tired of being spoken for; they want to be spoken to.

The Brokerage Firm is Closed

The editorial board of The Star rightly notes that "layers" alone won't win the West. This is a polite way of saying the brokers are bankrupt. The traditional strategy of securing a "point man"—be it a Prime Cabinet Secretary or a Speaker—and assuming their village follows suit is obsolete. The voter in Mumias East or Kimilili is far more sophisticated than the strategists in Nairobi give them credit for. They are asking hard questions about sugar sector revivals that exist only on paper and infrastructure projects that stall immediately after the ribbon is cut.

• The Credibility Deficit: The "layers" usually consist of politicians who have mastered the art of survival but failed the test of delivery. They promise development in exchange for loyalty, but the roads remain dusty and the factories silent.
• The Youth Factor: A new generation of voters, unburdened by the tribal loyalties of the past, views these intermediaries not as elders to be respected, but as barriers to be removed.

Direct Dial or Disconnect

Any serious contender for the presidency must bypass these layers. The path to Western Kenya’s heart does not run through the lavish compounds of its senior politicians, but through the dusty markets of Bungoma and the sugarcane farms of Kakamega. The candidate who relies on "layers" will find themselves peeling back an onion—finding nothing at the center but tears. The region is open for business, but the currency is no longer loyalty to a kingpin; it is direct, verifiable action.