Mr Eliud Owalo has resigned as Deputy Chief of Staff, Delivery and Government Efficiency, in the Office of President, citing his intention to run for presidency in 2027.
Mr Owalo made the announcement on Sunday during a church service at Nomiya Church in Siaya County.
"Following my declaration earlier today to run for Presidency of the Republic of Kenya in 2027, my position as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Delivery and Government Efficiency is no longer tenable. I have therefore resigned from the position with immediate effect," he said.
He said the decision was anchored in decades of public service, arguing that his long journey through the corridors of power has prepared him for the nation’s top office.
“I played a fundamental role in Ruto’s 2022 presidential campaign. I brought (President) Ruto to Nyanza at a time when nobody could imagine it,” he told worshippers, whom he noted form part of the Nomiya Church’s estimated 1.5 million membership.
“I have worked for top politicians in this country. In 2027, I want to work for the Kenyan people,” he said.
He cited his service under former Prime Minister Raila Odinga , National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang’ula , and in President Ruto’s Cabinet as proof of his readiness to govern.
His announcement sets the stage for a dramatic contest where President Ruto's trusted ally has turned into an opponent.
Mr Owalo, who is also Gor Mahia Football Club patron, said he hopes to consolidate the club’s support base to boost his State House bid.
“Over the past month, I have listened to bishops, held consultations with stakeholders, and reflected on my political past over the last 15 years,” he explained.
The choice of venue carried deep historical and personal resonance. The Nomiya Church headquarters in Oboch, Asembo, was founded in 1907 by his grandfather Prophet Johanna Owalo, making it Kenya’s first African independent church.
The announcement was made during the 106th anniversary of Prophet Johanna Owalo’s death, an event that the church marks every January 11.
The symbolism was not lost on congregants. Just as his grandfather founded an independent religious movement that challenged colonial orthodoxy, Mr Owalo is now seeking to forge his own political path by challenging President William Ruto in whose government he serves.
“My track record as a performer, a results-driven individual and a risk-taker puts me in a strong position to serve the Kenyan people,” he said.
His leap from trusted insider to a presidential candidate is one of the boldest political gambles in recent Kenyan history and has the potential to unsettle the dynamics within the Kenya Kwanza administration.
He also criticised what he termed “political monolithism”, arguing that the Luo Nyanza region cannot credibly claim to practise multi-party democracy while remaining under a single political party.
“We cannot be in a multiparty era and continue to subject the people of Nyanza to political monolithism, where one party imposes itself on everyone,” he warned.
This move pits him against not only President Ruto, but also the Orange Democratic Movement, whose decades-long dominance in Nyanza has shaped the region’s political identity.
