Kitui speaker Katisya declares bid for Senate seat in 2027

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Kitui County Assembly Speaker Kevin Katisya has announced he will run for the senatorial seat in 2027, despite sustained efforts by his detractors to undermine his political dream.

Katisya on Sunday said the Kitui senatorial duel will be a replay of the speaker’s race when he beat seasoned and financially endowed politicians to be elected.

The Kitui Senate seat will be up for grabs in the next general election as its current holder, Enoch Wambua, has shifted his interest to the Kitui gubernatorial position in 2027.

Katisya said his decision to seek the senatorial post was driven by overwhelming pressure and encouragement from residents across the county.

“I have traversed all corners of Kitui county and listened to the people. They have told me they are ready to elect me as the next senator of Kitui County, and I have accepted the call,” he said.

He addressed supporters at Musavani Comprehensive Primary School, a short distance from his rural home in Tseikuru, Mwingi North subcounty, during a thanksgiving ceremony following his election as Kitui speaker.

The event was attended by the chairperson of the County Assemblies Forum and the speaker of Kwale county assembly Seth Kamanza, his Bomet counterpart Cosmas Korir, and more than 30 members from Kitui.

“I have wholeheartedly resolved to answer the call to serve. I therefore humbly present myself to the people of Kitui county as their senator after the 2027 General Election,” Katisya said.

Expressing confidence in his prospects, Katisya said that if elected, he would champion policies aimed at transforming Kitui into a more prosperous county.

He drew parallels between his anticipated senatorial victory and his surprise win in 2022, when he clinched the speaker’s position against the Wiper Patroitic Front Party’s preferred candidate and former speaker George Ndotto.

At the time of his election, Katisya was a member of the Wiper Party’s National Executive Committee, led by his Tseikuru neighbour Kalonzo Musyoka.

However, he resigned from the NEC position a few months ago and has recently been seen aligning himself closely with the ruling United Democratic Alliance party of President William Ruto.

It is widely believed that Katisya will contest the senatorial seat on the UDA party ticket.

Katisya said he was prepared to confront any challenges in his political path, noting that several attempts to remove him from the Speaker’s office had already failed.

“I have hardly known peace since I won the speaker’s seat. There have been numerous orchestrated attempts to oust me, but I have successfully thwarted them all,” he said.

He warned his political adversaries that he was no pushover and that any attempts to remove him from office before the end of his term in 2027 would not succeed.

“Let them know that I will not allow anyone to use unorthodox means to remove me from office as speaker. That will never happen. I am not ready to let go of what I rightfully earned,” Katisya said.

Recalling his rise to the speaker’s position, he added: “I sought the Speaker’s seat against seasoned political heavyweights, some with years of experience and vast financial resources but I still emerged victorious.”