Seth Panyako declares fresh bid for Malava MP seat after 2025 defeat
By Mabonga Makhanu, June 8, 2026Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General Seth Panyako has announced a third attempt at the Malava parliamentary seat, months after his latest setback in the 2025 by-election.
The outspoken nurses’ union leader, through a social media post on Monday, June 8, 2026, declared that he is officially back in the race and ready to make another attempt at capturing the constituency seat.
“Bado niko safarini,” Panyako said
Court dismisses Panyako’s case
His announcement comes just days after the Kakamega High Court dismissed his petition challenging the victory of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate David Ndakwa. The court ruled that the grounds presented by Panyako were insufficient to overturn Ndakwa’s narrow victory in the 2025 by-election.
Panyako’s reaction to the court ruling
Panyako had initially indicated that he would not pursue any legal action following the election, despite claiming that the poll was marred by numerous irregularities that favoured the incumbent MP.
However, after filing the petition—a move he says was influenced by the party leader—and subsequently losing the case, he publicly expressed his dissatisfaction with the court’s decision, citing his earlier reservations about taking the legal route.
The KNUN boss criticised the ruling, saying it had vindicated his initial reluctance to challenge the election results in court.
He maintained that, regardless of the outcome of future elections, he would never again seek the intervention of the judiciary in an electoral dispute. According to him, winning an election petition in Kenya is an extremely difficult undertaking.
Seth Panyako’s electoral bid
In 2025, Panyako mounted a spirited campaign to succeed the late Malulu Injendi, whose death left the Malava parliamentary seat vacant. He received the backing of the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), led by Eugene Wamalwa, which granted him a direct nomination and fully supported his candidature.
Lawyer Edgar Busiega of the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), who had also expressed interest in the seat, stepped down in favour of Panyako after being promised a nomination position in the next Parliament. Busiega subsequently joined the campaign trail in support of the KNUN Secretary General.
The entire opposition camp rallied behind Panyako during the by-election, but their efforts failed to yield victory at the ballot. The upcoming contest will mark his third attempt at winning the Malava seat after unsuccessful bids in both the 2022 General Election and the 2025 by-election.
Back electoral bids
Beyond Malava politics, Panyako has previously contested for the Kakamega senatorial seat. In the 2017 General Election, he ran on an ODM ticket and finished second behind DCP deputy party leader Cleophas Malala.
Throughout his political career, Panyako has consistently attributed his electoral losses to alleged irregularities, maintaining that elections have not been conducted fairly and that the process has often been manipulated in favour of his opponents.
Recently, he also revived operations at his Kaberengu hotel, which had served as his private tallying centre during the highly volatile 2025 Malava by-election. The facility had been vandalised and stoned during the heated political contest but has since been restored and brought back into operation.