Kenya National Union of Nurses (KNUN) Secretary-General Seth Panyako has vowed to remain in the Malava Parliamentary race amid a bid to block him from contesting.
Panyako dismissed the challenge by fellow aspirant for the seat, Caleb Burudi, as politically motivated.
Burudi has written to the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K), urging the party to disqualify Panyako from the race.
Burudi argues that Panyako, who serves as a board member of the Local Authorities Provident Fund (LAPFUND), failed to resign within the legally stipulated timeframe required of public officers intending to contest in elections.
Through a letter from Okubasu & Munene Advocates addressed to DAP-K, Burudi claims that Panyako contravened the Elections Act by continuing to serve on the LAPFUND board past August 15, 2025 — the deadline set by law, which requires public officers to vacate their positions within seven days of the declaration of a vacant parliamentary seat.
However, Panyako maintained that LAPFUND is not a state corporation and that his board membership does not equate to holding a public office.
“LAPFUND is not a state corporation. It doesn’t receive any money from the exchequer. I nominated myself to represent workers — I was not appointed by the government,” Panyako said.
He also dismissed the letter sent to DAP-K and shared with media houses as a sign of political fear.
“It is just the fear of Panyako. Why write to DAP-K and then share the letter with the media?” he posed.
Panyako vowed to remain in the race unless removed by a court order.
“If anyone wants to remove me from the ballot, that person must bring a court order. My application to vie has not been challenged in a court of law,” he insisted.
Burudi alleges that instead of stepping down, Panyako attended the LAPFUND Devolution Conference between August 11 and 15 — the very period within which he was expected to resign.
He also cites a LAPFUND board workshop held in Naivasha in September, claiming that Panyako was present and actively involved in official board activities.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) officially gazetted the Malava seat as vacant on August 8, 2025, triggering a countdown for potential candidates currently holding public office to resign.
