DNK International By Our Reporter,Bungoma
Bungoma woman representative
Catherine Nanjala Wambilianga is one of Bungoma County’s most prominent female political figures, having successfully transitioned from a career in teaching and trade union leadership into elective politics.
She has served as the county’s woman representative since 2017.
Wambilianga was born on June 1, 1966 and started her education at Misikhu Primary School before joining Misikhu Girls for her O-Level education and Lugulu Girls for A-Level studies.
She later pursued a Bachelor of Education degree at Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, graduating in 2011.
Parliament records also indicate that she is undertaking a master’s degree at the University of Nairobi.
Her professional career began in the teaching profession, where she served under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) from 1989 to 2011.
DNK-International established that,she taught Home Science at Kapsowar Girls High School, Koru Girls High School, Namawanga Girls Secondary School, St Matthew’s ACK Webuye and Matulo Secondary School.
Her years in the classroom gave her first hand experience of the challenges facing teachers, students and families.
Through that,Wambilianga moved into trade union leadership through the Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET), where she rose to become National Secretary for Gender.
She had earlier served as KUPPET Bungoma County branch treasurer.
Parliament records identify her as a skilled negotiator in collective bargaining agreements, an experience that would later become useful in her political career.
Her entry into politics was therefore preceded by years of public service, professional representation and advocacy.
Wambilianga’s background in KUPPET gave her an opportunity to interact with teachers across the country, while her gender portfolio placed her at the centre of conversations concerning women’s representation and empowerment.
Rather than entering politics directly from the private sector, she moved from teaching to organised labour and eventually into electoral politics.
In the 2017 General Election, Wambilianga successfully contested the Bungoma County woman representative seat on a FORD-Kenya ticket, becoming one of the women elected to represent an entire county in the National Assembly.
She retained the seat in the 2022 General Election, securing a second term and further establishing herself as a significant political voice in Bungoma.
Her parliamentary work has closely reflected her professional background.
During the 12th Parliament, she served on the Departmental Committee on Education, Research and Technology as well as the Departmental Committee on Labour and Social Welfare.
Her areas of interest have included labour, social protection, public administration and parliamentary oversight.
At the community level, programmes associated with her office have focused on women and youth empowerment, entrepreneurship grants, mentorship, advocacy for persons with disabilities and support for survivors of gender based violence (GBV).
Her office has also highlighted assistance to vulnerable groups and efforts to help victims pursue justice.
One of Wambilianga’s notable political achievements is simply her ability to win and retain a county-wide elective position in a highly competitive political environment.
Her two consecutive victories have given her a sustained platform in Bungoma politics and made her one of the better known women leaders in Western Kenya.
Her political influence, however, extends beyond her official parliamentary title.
As a FORD-Kenya politician from Bungoma, she operates within one of Western Kenya’s historically important political parties and has remained part of the region’s wider political conversations.
Also her experience in trade union politics has also given her a constituency among professionals, teachers and organised workers.
Wambilianga’s political journey has not been without challenges.
She has had to operate in a region where political competition is intense and where party alliances and local political loyalties can shift quickly.
Her position as a woman leader also places her in a political environment that has traditionally been dominated by men.
In 2021, she survived a serious road accident while campaigning in Kabuchai, an incident that temporarily interrupted her political activities but did not end her political career.
Among the public messages associated with Wambilianga is her call for peaceful political competition.
In one of her statements, she said, “Everyone is free to campaign anywhere, as long as it is done peacefully,” reflecting her position that political competition should not descend into violence.
She has also spoken against the use of funerals as platforms for political confrontation and encouraged parents to guide young people.
Her political story is therefore one of gradual progression rather than a sudden rise to power.
She moved from the classroom to the trade union movement, from trade union negotiations to electoral politics and from her first election victory in 2017 to a second mandate in 2022.
Along the way, she has built a political identity around education, labour, women’s empowerment, social protection and community representation.
For Bungoma, Wambilianga represents a significant chapter in the growth of women’s political leadership in the county.
Her continued presence in Parliament has ensured that a woman occupies one of the county’s most visible political positions while giving her a platform to participate in national debates affecting education, labour, women and vulnerable communities.
At 60, and with nearly a decade in elective politics, Wambilianga’s legacy is still being written.
Her greatest political test will be how she consolidates the experience gained from teaching, trade union leadership and two parliamentary terms into a lasting influence in Bungoma and the wider Western Kenya political landscape.
Her journey remains a notable example of how professional experience can provide a foundation for political leadership: a teacher who understood the challenges of education, a trade unionist who learned negotiation and collective bargaining, and a politician who eventually carried that experience into the National Assembly as Bungoma’s elected woman representative.
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🗓️ [DNK-International@September 11,2026]
