Skater Kevin Kiarie /FILEKenyan skating champion Kevin Kiarie Ruhiu has declared his intention to vie for the Roysambu parliamentary seat under the Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) ticket.
In a campaign message shared on social media on Monday, Kiarie reaffirmed his commitment to contest the seat, pledging to champion young people and athletes while addressing what he described as challenges facing residents.
“Today I would like to reaffirm the promise I made to the people of Roysambu Constituency. I promised to offer myself to serve, that commitment still stands strong and unshaken,” he said.
Kiarie described Roysambu as a cosmopolitan constituency with untapped potential in business, education, infrastructure and healthcare.
He pledged to defend athletes and protect young people’s ambitions, saying he would work to address what he termed broken systems if elected.
“I shall serve, I shall deliver, I will protect the dreams of our hardworking youths and my fellow constituents from being shattered by broken systems,” he said.
He also promised to represent all constituents without discrimination, saying he had received support from Kenyans across the country.
“I will give Roysambu a voice we haven't had for so long,” he said.
His campaign post carried the slogan “003 Gen Z Power”, with Kiarie presenting youth opportunities and support for athletes among the issues he intends to champion.
The declaration comes days after Kiarie became embroiled in a public dispute with the Ministry of Sports over government support for his participation in international skating competitions.
On October 8, Kiarie had disputed the ministry’s claim that it supported his international competitions, including the African championships in Egypt, and paid his cash awards from competitions in Benin and Egypt.
Kiarie said he had not received government support for the competitions he had represented Kenya in, while the ministry said it had provided assistance and attempted to intervene over his travel and visa arrangements for the World Skate Games in Paraguay.
The disagreement followed Kiarie’s questions over his inclusion on the proposed 2026 national heroes list, despite what he described as inadequate state support for his sporting career.
He subsequently missed the World Skate Games, which ran from October 2 to 18, after travel and visa arrangements became a point of dispute between him and the ministry.
Kiarie said the intervention offered was not sufficient, while the ministry cited the need for complete and valid travel documents to facilitate assistance.
Kiarie had also appealed to Kenyans to help finance his international competitions, including raising money for travel and accommodation.
His entry into the Roysambu race now places his campaign promises around youth and athletes alongside his public experience with the challenges of securing support for an emerging sport.
He said he would serve all residents if elected.
