Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale has applauded the move by the Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP) to withdraw their candidate, Edgar Busiega, from the Malava by-election and agree to support the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) chair, Seth Panyako.

In a statement shared on his social media handles on Thursday, October 30, 2025, the senator, who has been campaigning for the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) candidate Seth Panyako despite being elected on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket and serving as the Minority Whip of the ruling party in the Senate, has defied his party by refusing to back UDA’s candidate, David Ndakwa, in the mini-polls.

Khalwale described the move by Busiega and his party as standing on the right side of history by joining Panyako’s team, which, according to their internal opinion polls, shows Panyako as the frontrunner among other candidates.

“Congratulations to Team Edgar Busiega for joining the big dream and standing on the right side of history by so graciously stepping down unconditionally for Seth Panyako. The Malava by-election is coming around just fine. Khuli muluchendo…” Khalwale stated.

This came after DCP’s Deputy Party Leader Cleophas Malala brought together the two candidates, with Busiega agreeing unconditionally to withdraw from the race and support Seth Panyako.

Busiega withdraws

The agreement followed a morning meeting between Cleophas Malala, who has been helping Busiega traverse Malava Constituency in search of support and popularising his bid, and former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua.

The meeting culminated in Busiega’s decision to withdraw from the race, with a promise of a parliamentary nomination in 2027 when the party submits its list of nominated members to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Malala later revealed that the entire United Opposition will now unveil Seth Panyako as their coalition candidate and embark on a vigorous campaign to ensure his victory in the upcoming November 27 mini-polls.

This comes after months of uproar from DAP-K, which had been pleading with DCP to withdraw their candidate and support DAP-K, arguing that Malava is traditionally a DAP-K zone.

They maintained that since DCP is a constituent party of the larger United Opposition, it would have been appropriate for them to step down and support Seth Panyako to avoid splitting votes, since Malava and the entire western Kenya is a DAP-K zone.