In a major political shift, Eliud Owalo, has officially announced his bid for the presidency in the 2027 General Election and consequently resigned from his current position as the Deputy Chief of Staff in charge of Delivery and Government Efficiency.

Mr Owalo, who previously served as the Cabinet Secretary for Information, Communications, and the Digital Economy, made the declaration yesterday, January 11, 2026, during a significant family and religious gathering in Nyanza.

A Platform of Performance and Risk-Taking

Speaking at the headquarters of the Nomiya Church in Oboch, Kisumu County, Owalo linked his ambition to his professional reputation, stating, “Come 2027, I will submit myself as a candidate for the presidency of the Republic of Kenya.”

He emphasized that his campaign would be defined by his identity as “a performer, a results-oriented person and a risk-taker.”

The Development Blueprint for Nyanza and Kenya

Central to his presidential vision is a robust economic and infrastructural agenda. Owalo outlined several priority projects aimed at regional and national transformation:

• Water and Energy: Expanding infrastructure like the Koru–Soin dams to mitigate flooding, generate power, and ensure last-mile water connectivity for food security.

• Trade and Logistics: Completing the Lake Victoria Ring Road to connect Busia and Migori, fostering trade with Uganda and Tanzania. He also called for upgrading Kisumu International Airport to a full cargo hub for direct international exports of fish and produce.

• Industrialization: Establishing local processing factories for livestock, hides, avocados, tea, coffee, and soapstone to ensure value addition remains within the region.

• Sector Revitalization: Prioritizing the recovery of the sugar, rice, and cotton industries, alongside mining reforms to benefit local communities.

The annual January 11 service served as a bridge between Owalo’s family legacy and his future aspirations, as he seeks to translate his administrative experience into the nation’s highest office.

Highlights of achievements during his tenure as  ICT Minister

During his tenure as the ICT CS, Mr Owalo implemented a comprehensive “Digital Superhighway” agenda.

Upon his exit in July 2024, he released a scorecard highlighting the following key achievements:

Infrastructure & Connectivity

• Fibre Optic Expansion: Successfully rolled out 10,219 kilometers of fibre-optic cable, utilizing Kenya Power’s electric transmission lines to improve efficiency.

• Public Wi-Fi: Established 1,360 free public Wi-Fi hotspots across all 47 counties to enhance internet accessibility.

• Local Manufacturing: Facilitated the local assembly of 1.5 million affordable, smart-enabled phones, retailing from Sh7,500.

Digital Economy & Job Creation

• Digital Hubs: Established 274 digital hubs in wards across the country and distributed 16,804 digital devices to these centers.

• Employment: Reported the creation of 152,711 digital jobs through various ICT interventions.

• Youth Training: Successfully trained 516,505 youth in digital skills to prepare them for the global digital marketplace.

Government Digitalization

• Service Automation: Led the digitalization of 17,668 government services, significantly exceeding the initial target of 5,000 services.

• Digital Cabinet: Operationalized 92 video conferencing facilities to automate the business of the Cabinet and state departments.

• Postal Reform: Commenced the re-engineering of the Postal Corporation of Kenya into an e-commerce and logistics hub.

Education & Strategic Growth

• Open University of Kenya: Established this institution at Konza Technopolis in October 2023 to facilitate virtual learning, admitting over 3,200 students.

• Konza Technopolis: Advanced the “Silicon Savannah” by bringing on board 94 ICT providers and innovators to co-create solutions through the Konza cloud.

• Anti-Corruption: Noted that under his leadership, the Ministry was ranked by the EACC as the least corrupt government ministry.