Embakasi North Member of Parliament James Gakuya has come out to state that former Deputy Chief of Staff Eliud Owalo has been created to run for the presidency by his former boss, President William Ruto.

While speaking during a morning show on a popular local media station on Tuesday, January 13, 2025, the lawmaker stated that Eliud Owalo, who recently resigned and announced his interest in the top seat, is being used as a design by President William Ruto as part of his political strategy and a way of wooing the Luo Nyanza region ahead of 2027.

Gakuya went on to state that the president has been tactical in handling Luo Nyanza and has now created a third arm or faction in the region, such that those who are opposed to Oburu Odinga and the Nairobi senator–led faction can have a resting place in Owalo.

Gakuya further stated that the president himself will support Owalo to the end so that he can get whichever votes he will scoop on polling day in 2027, and in case of a runoff thereafter, Owalo, according to Gakuya, will shelve his presidential bid and support the president for his re-election.

“Owalo is politically created. Just to make sure that he also opened another political back there so that those who feel that they will not be comfortable with the leadership of Oburu and the fraternity of Oburu and who will not be comfortable dealing with the remaining part of Sifuna, then there is a safety net where now Owalo will be able to live. But this tells you Owalo is politically created so that he can contest for the presidency, supported by Ruto to the end,” Gakuya argued.

“Get what you get but finally, there is a tail end in case of what you call a runoff.  Then he will step down for Ruto,” he further claimed.

Similar games in Mt. Kenya

He further added that similar games are being played in Mt Kenya, with him suspecting that former Public Service Cabinet Secretary Moses Kuria, who recently rejoined government after defecting in July 2025, might be the one being used to dilute the influence of Democracy for the Citizens Party leader Rigathi Gachagua in favour of President William Ruto.

However, he poured cold water on this plan, saying that it will not succeed since Moses Kuria, according to him, is not influential or strong enough to be used in the above scheme.