Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Delivery and Government Efficiency, Eliud Owalo, has resigned from the position following his announcement that he will submit his candidature for the presidency in the 2027 general elections.
In a statement released on Sunday January 11, 2026, the former ICT Cabinet Secretary noted that his earlier declaration makes it impossible for him to continue holding his current position.
“Following my declaration earlier today that I intend to run for Presidency of the Republic of Kenya in the year 2027, my position as the Deputy Chief of Staff, Delivery and Government Efficiency is no longer Tenable,” Owalo said.
“I have therefore resigned from the position with immediate effect,” he added.
Owalo announced his 2027 presidential bid on Sunday, during the commemoration of 106th anniversary of his grandfather, Prophet Johanna Owalo, the founder of Nomiya Church, at Oboch, Rarieda Constituency, Siaya County.
He cited his track record as a “performer, a result-oriented person, and a risk taker”, as key qualities that make him fit to run for Kenya’s top seat.
The now presidential hopeful also pointed to his experience working alongside former Prime Minister Raila Odinga, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and currently President William Ruto, as sufficient grounds to qualify him for the presidential race.
“Come 2027, I want to change the paradigm. I will not continue to work for political individuals, but I want to work for the Kenyan people. And in that regard, informed by the lessons I have learnt in the past, emerging issues in the operational environment, and feedback I have received from various stakeholder forums which I have held over the past month,” Owalo said.
He continued, “I will be submitting myself as a candidate for the purposes of the presidential race in the elections for the purposes of the presidency in the republic of Kenya.”
He further urged Nyanza residents to embrace multiparty democracy as enshrined in the 2010 constitution, challenging the dominance of a single party in the region.
“To facilitate this, we must also open up deliberately and consciously the political space to allow for the real multi-party democracy to thrive in Nyanza just the same way it is thriving in other regions,” Owalo stated.
