Former Deputy Chief of Staff Eliud Owalo has come out to state that he intends to run for the presidency in 2027 so that he can lead Kenyans in the third and final liberation.

While speaking during an interview on a local media station on Tuesday, January 28, 2026, the 2027 presidential hopeful labelled himself as the agent of change.

The reason he is unshakeable about seeking the top seat is that he wants to be the agent of change that Kenyans have long desired and lead them into the third liberation, which he believes is economic liberation.

“As an agent of change, I wish to run for the presidency so that I can lead Kenyans in the third and final liberation, which is the economic liberation,” he said.

Eliud Owalo, who recently resigned from his role, stated that during his tenure as a government official—serving since 2022, first as the Cabinet Secretary for ICT and later as Deputy Chief of Staff—he has been conducting countrywide tours engaging Kenyans at the grassroots.

According to him, there have been complaints from the local populace who are not content and do not feel the impact of the government in their daily lives, stating that they struggle with basic necessities such as food, yet the government is launching huge projects.

He went ahead to state that these are some of the issues he wants to address when elected president.

Economic liberation

He further stated that since his rule will be focused on liberating the economy, he plans to reduce the income tax, which is currently at 35 per cent, to 20 per cent; reduce the value-added tax (VAT) from 16 per cent to 10 per cent; and completely do away with the digital tax, which is currently at 4 per cent, saying that this money can be generated elsewhere and not necessarily from creatives.

“With digital tax, we can get that money from elsewhere as opposed to levying it on some digital appliances, since one of the thematic areas I want to pursue with zeal is turning Kenya into a digital hub,” he said.

Owalo resigns

This comes days after resigning to contest for the top seat

In a statement posted on his Facebook account on Sunday, January 11, 2026, Owalo said his position in government was no longer tenable following his decision to challenge President William Ruto in the upcoming polls.

“Following my declaration earlier today that I intend to run for the Presidency of the Republic of Kenya in the year 2027, my position as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Delivery and Government Efficiency, is no longer tenable,” Owalo stated.