DNK International By Our Correspondent,Port Victoria
Budalangi Member of Parliament Raphael Bitta Sauti Wanjala is currently one of the more experienced politicians from Busia County.
Wanjala has served in Parliament in different periods since the late 1990’s and also held an Assistant Ministerial position in the government.
He was born on June 23, 1964 ans his educational journey began at Mundere Primary School, where he studied from 1973 to 1980 and obtained his Certificate of Certificate of Primary Education (CPE).
He later attended John Osogo High School from 1981 to 1984 where he obtained the Kenya Certificate of Education (KCE).
Between 1993 and 1995,Wanjala trained at Kaimosi Teachers College and qualified as a teacher.
Wanjala entered the working world as an assistant teacher under the Teachers Service Commission (TSC), serving from 1986 to 1995.
He then ventured into business, serving as a director between 1995 and 1997 before entering elective politics.
His first stint as Budalangi MP was from 1997 to 2002.
He served as an Assistant Minister between 2002 and 2007 when Narc government under the late former President Mwai Kibaki came to power.
He also served as a director at Nzoia Sugar Company between 2014 and 2017 when he lost his seat to former MP and sports cabinet secretary Ababu Namwamba now serving as Kenya’s High Commissioner to Uganda Ababu Namwamba.
Wanjala returned to Parliament when he retained the Budalangi seat in 2022 on an ODM ticket.
Wanjala’s political journey as he told Daily News Kenya-International recently in the constituency has also been linked to his early exposure to prominent political leaders from Budalangi and the wider western Kenya region.
In Parliament in 2023, while paying tribute to the late former Cabinet minister James Nakhwanga Osogo, he said Osogo’s development record in Budalangi motivated people such as himself to take up the challenge of championing further change.
He also named the late Peter Khavenga Okondo as another leader whose philosophy helped guide his leadership.
Wanjala described Osogo and Okondo as important influencers on his political outlook.
His journey has not been confined to politics and education alone.
Before becoming a legislator, Wanjala was involved in the music industry.
In a 2017 parliamentary contribution, he revealed that he had recorded the popular song “Kigeugeu” and said the music industry had helped propel him to where he was.
He used the opportunity to call for greater government support for artists and talent development.
On family life, Wanjala has publicly spoken about his marriage.
In a 2024 interview with a local TV station, he disclosed of having a second wife and described his experience of bringing her home, making his polygamous family arrangement a matter of public record.
As an MP, one of Wanjala’s most visible areas of focus has been education.
Budalangi NG-CDF according to him has supported thousands of students through bursaries, while education infrastructure projects, including multi-storey classrooms and laboratories, have been developed in various schools.
In 2023, he stated that more than Sh33 million in bursaries was reported to have been distributed to needy students in the constituency, while 1,068 students were identified as beneficiaries of university bursaries during that financial year.
Recent NG-CDF inspections have also highlighted multi-storey classroom and laboratory projects in Budalangi, with the constituency’s development committee and Wanjala involved in the projects.
The National Government Constituencies Development Fund has described the projects as significant investments in education infrastructure.
Flooding, however, remains one of the defining challenges of his constituency.
Metereologists have warned that from the month of October,Elnino is expected to pound the country and affect several parts of the country,Budalangi being part of it.
Budalangi lies on the flood plain of the Nzoia River, and the constituency’s own development profile identifies recurrent flooding as a major environmental hazard affecting agriculture, transport and access to resources.
On its preparedness Wanjala,has responded by pushing both emergency preparedness and longer term flood control measures.
In 2021, Budalangi received 32 rescue boats valued at about Sh2.2 million through NG-CDF to assist in rescuing residents and moving households and property to safer areas during floods.
Wanjala said the initiative followed the devastating 2020 floods, when thousands of residents were displaced.
At the national level, he has repeatedly raised the flooding problem in Parliament.
In one debate, he questioned the government over funding for dredging the Nzoia and Yala rivers to improve water flow into Lake Victoria.
The government subsequently indicated that it was undertaking construction of dykes along a 34 kilometre stretch of the Nzoia River at a reported cost of Sh2 billion.
His experience as a legislator has also placed him in oversight positions.
He has chaired the National Assembly Committee on Implementation, which follows up on the implementation of resolutions and recommendations of Parliament.
He has also served on other parliamentary committees dealing with public investments and related matters.
Politically, Wanjala is currently an ODM MP but has become an important voice in the relationship between Western Kenya leaders and President William Ruto’s administration through broad based government of UDA-ODM working arrangement.
In September 2026, he joined other Western Kenya MPs in announcing support for Ruto’s bid for a second term in the 2027 presidential election, while simultaneously demanding greater representation for Western Kenya, including the Deputy President position.
The statement was presented by Wanjala after consultations among Western Kenya leaders.
This position has placed Wanjala among Western Kenya politicians seeking to negotiate the region’s interests within the broad-based government.
The discussion has increasingly focused on Western Kenya’s political bargaining power, representation and development interests rather than simply party affiliation.
Wanjala has also spoken about the importance of Western Kenya securing greater national influence through numbers and political negotiations.
His recent activities have therefore moved beyond Budalangi to the wider Busia and Western Kenya political conversation.
His political record has nevertheless evolved over the years.
He had previously been associated with different political formations, including NARC and UDF, before becoming an ODM legislator.
Wanjala’s political identity has consequently been shaped by three overlapping experiences: a teacher’s understanding of education, a politician’s long exposure to Parliament and government, and a representative’s experience of leading a constituency repeatedly threatened by floods.
As the country moves toward the 2027 elections, Wanjala’s role is increasingly being watched not only through the performance of Budalangi NG-CDF projects and his advocacy for flood mitigation, but also through his participation in Western Kenya’s negotiations with the national government and his public position in support of President Ruto’s second term bid.
For a politician who first entered Parliament nearly three decades ago, Wanjala’s story remains closely tied to Budalangi’s development challenges and to the wider question of how Western Kenya converts its political numbers into national influence.
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🗓️ [Daily News Kenya-International@September 24, 2026]
