Want my blessing? Let’s talk,’ Oparanya responds to Sifuna

Co-operatives Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya has responded to Nairobi Senator Edwin Sifuna’s appeal for his blessing, asking the senator to sit down with him and explain his political plans ahead of the 2027 General Election.

Oparanya said Sifuna should approach him for a conversation if he wanted his support, indicating that he was willing to listen to the senator’s ambitions and discuss how their ideas could benefit the people.

“If you want blessing, you don’t ask for it while you’re on the way. You have to come, then we sit down and talk. Come and sit down with me so that I can know where you are coming from and where you are going,” Oparanya said.

He added that he also had ideas that could help the people and suggested that the two could bring their ideas together.

“I also have ideas that can help our people. Let us put those ideas together,” he said.

Oparanya, however, said he is currently serving in the broad-based government and is focused on ensuring that Kenyans get the services they deserve.

Oparanya’s remarks came after Sifuna publicly appealed to him for his blessing as he pursues his political journey ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking during the Linda Mwananchi grassroots mobilisation tour in Sabatia, Kakamega county on Saturday, Sifuna described Oparanya as a father who had nurtured him through the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM).

“Oparanya, I respect you greatly, but today I have come to Sabatia to ask for your vote. If you support Sifuna, we will not lose,” Sifuna said.

The Nairobi senator also asked Oparanya to bless his political journey even if the former governor did not agree with his decision.

I am asking you to bless me as I embark on this journey, even if you do not agree with me. Just your blessing, not money. I am not asking you for anything else,” Sifuna said.

Oparanya’s response is significant because the former governor had previously said Sifuna was like his political child and had not formally informed him that he intended to run for president.

Oparanya had earlier said Sifuna had not approached him to declare his interest in the presidency, while leaving the door open for the senator to seek his blessing if he wished to pursue the position.

The latest exchange therefore marks a new stage in the political relationship between the two leaders, with Sifuna now publicly seeking Oparanya’s blessing and Oparanya asking him to explain his plans directly.

Oparanya, who served as Kakamega governor for two terms, remains an influential political figure in Western Kenya and has been involved in national political arrangements in recent years.

He served as ODM deputy party leader before joining President William Ruto’s Cabinet and has since become part of the broad-based government.

The former governor has also been mentioned in political discussions over possible running-mate choices for Ruto in the 2027 presidential election. Some leaders, including ODM National Assembly Minority Leader Junet Mohamed, have publicly backed Oparanya as a potential running mate.

Sifuna, meanwhile, has been using the Linda Mwananchi platform to intensify grassroots mobilisation in Western Kenya as he and his allies seek to build a wider political network ahead of the 2027 polls.

The team, which has included Trans Nzoia Governor George Natembeya and Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale, has recently toured parts of Busia and Kakamega counties.