Deputy Chief of Staff in the Office of the President, Eliud Owalo, has declared his intention to vie for the presidency in 2027.

Owalo made the announcement on Sunday, January 11, 2026, during the commemoration of the 106th anniversary of his grandfather, Prophet Johanna Owalo, founder of the Nomiya Church, at Oboch in Rarieda constituency.

While suggesting that his past political experiences have shaped his resolve to chart an independent path, the former Cabinet Secretary declared that come 2027, he will submit his candidature for the presidency of the Republic of Kenya.

Tracing his political history, Owalo recalled his role as Raila Odinga’s chief campaign manager in 2013, his subsequent work with Musalia Mudavadi at ANC, and his current position alongside President William Ruto since 2019. He described these experiences as lessons that have prepared him for the ultimate leadership role.

“Come 2027, I want to change the paradigm. I will not continue to work for political individuals, but I want to work for the Kenyan people. And in that regard, informed by the lessons I have learnt in the past, emerging issues in the operational environment, and feedback I have received from various stakeholder forums which I have held over the past month, including but not limited to Nomiya Church, I have today made a deliberate and conscious decision that come the year 2027, I will be submitting myself as a candidate for the purposes of the presidential race in the elections for the purposes of the presidency in the republic of Kenya,” Owalo said.

The former Cabinet Secretary used the occasion to outline his vision for Kenya, rooted in economic transformation and multi-party democracy.

Multi-party democracy in Nyanza

He also challenged the dominance of a single party in Nyanza, advocating for genuine multi-party democracy as enshrined in the 2010 Constitution.

“To facilitate this, we must also open up deliberately and consciously the political space to allow for the real multi-party democracy to thrive in Nyanza just the same way it is thriving in other regions,” Owalo stated.

The Deputy Chief of Staff, who was flanked by Siaya Deputy Governor William Oduol, hinted at unveiling a new political party with strong roots in Nyanza, saying that they cannot continue subjecting their people to a political monolith where one party lords it over everybody else.