Panyako reveals how nurses stepped in to bankroll his political campaigns
By Mabonga Makhanu, December 4, 2025Seth Panyako has revealed that nurses played a significant role in funding his Kakamega senatorial bid in 2017, before later shifting his focus to vie for the Malava parliamentary seat.
Speaking during an interview with a local podcast on Thursday, December 4, 2025, Panyako disclosed that in 2017, having served for five years as the chairman of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN), which he founded in 2012, the nurses he had helped champion in advocating for their rights decided to contribute and fundraise for his campaigns after deciding to set sight on the senatorial seat.
He stated that out of the Ksh30 million he spent campaigning for the Kakamega senatorial seat, Ksh15 million was contributed by his colleagues in the nursing fraternity.
He added that at some point it became difficult for him to move around for campaigns, but upon checking the account where the funds were being channelled, he discovered that after hours, a million had already been contributed, all this from nurses.
Panyako explained that this support helped him significantly, as he often faced financial difficulties, and such gestures from nurses enabled him to campaign effectively. According to him, senatorial campaigns, which he lost to Democracy for Citizens (DCP) party deputy leader Cleophas Malala in 2017, were less demanding compared to parliamentary campaigns he has participated in lately.
He further stated that nurses and other well-wishers played a crucial role in helping him pursue his dream of representing Kakamega County in the Senate.
“Nurses came in in a big way to support me; my 2017 campaign was run by nurses. They supported me with over Ksh15 million, because I spent roughly over Ksh30 million. I could wake up in the morning and not have money to campaign, but at midday I would have over Ksh1 million in my account.”
Shift from Senator to MP
Panyako also revealed that it was his locals in Malava who advised him to switch focus from the senatorial seat to the parliamentary seat in his constituency. They told him that they wanted to nurture him to gradually rise from being an MP to higher positions.
He added that after failing to clinch the parliamentary seat several times, his Malava locals repeatedly told him that he must first become an MP before they would support him to vie for other seats.
Entry into politics
Additionally, Panyako shared how the late former Prime Minister Raila Odinga helped him enter politics. He revealed that it was the late leader who encouraged him to vie after being endorsed by constituents in Malava.
The late leader later allowed him to contest on the ODM ticket, where he faced two other candidates and emerged victorious in the party primaries.