Seth Panyako reveals secret CS offer after Malava by-election defeat
By Aloys Michael, December 3, 2025In a new twist to the Malava by-elections saga, United Opposition candidate Seth Panyako now claims the government has dangled a Cabinet Secretary job before him after his loss.
Speaking during an interview on a local radio station on Wednesday, December 3, 2025, Panyako claimed that he had rejected the offer due to the violence he had experienced during the election period.
“Shamelessly, on the 28th, they are telling me that they want to make me a Cabinet Secretary. Did I go for an election to be a minister? This is the highest level of inhumanity; in fact, it appears like we are being led by sycophants,” Panyako claimed.
Watch: Seth Panyako reveals secret CS offer after Malava by-election defeat
The former Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary General also said that he had received a similar request in 2022.
Panyako stated that he had told President William Ruto to offer the Principal Secretary position to someone else since he had another job.
He said that he had been at the forefront of campaigning for President Ruto in 2022, while he was still in the UDA party.
Also watch: Panyako speaks out after emotional meltdown at Malava polling station.
The DAP-K candidate said that his supporters in Malava had welcomed his decision to reject the government appointment.
“Since they began the stories of appointing me as a CS, many have messaged me, and the people of Kabras have told me, ‘Do not dare join that bloody government,'” Panyako said.
Ruto-Panyako tiff
Moreover, Panyako disclosed that Ruto campaigned against him because of his issue-based approach and vehement opposition to some of Ruto’s policies, such as the abolition of Linda Mama, which placed him at odds with the president.
“My campaign was issue-based, and it instilled fear in Ruto. He knew if I stepped into parliament with the message I was advocating and it gained traction and appeal with the people, he would run into huge problems,” the medical practitioner stated.
Ultimately, the United Democratic Alliance Party (UDA) candidate for the Malava by-election, David Ndakwa, won the hotly contested Malava by-election.
Ndakwa was declared the winner by Returning Officer Salim Abdala after garnering 21,564 votes against Panyako, who received 20,210 votes.
According to him, Ruto’s ascension to power declared war on women’s health and the education sector, policies he had vowed to oppose and wage war against through legislation if elected.
“My issues are touching on people. For instance, on policies such as education and maternal health. When Ruto took power, he declared war on women by abolishing Linda Mama.