By John Mutiso
Seth Panyako, the parliamentary candidate for the united opposition during the Malava by-elections, has made new claims that the government approached him with an offer of a Cabinet Secretary appointment after he lost the by-election.
Speaking during a Radio Maisha interview on December 3, 2025, Panyako claimed that he had rejected the offer due to the violence he had allegedly experienced during the election period.
“Shamelessly, on the 28th they are telling me that they want to make me a Cabinet Secretary, did I go for an election to be a minister? This is the highest level of inhumanity, in fact it appears like we are being led by sycophants,” Panyako claimed.
The DAP-K candidate also said that he had received a similar request in 2022.
Panyako claimed that he had told President William Ruto to offer the PS position to someone else, as he had another job.
The former Kenya National Union of Nurses Secretary General said that he had been at the forefront of campaigning for President Ruto in 2022, while he was still in the UDA party.
The DAP-K candidate said that his supporters in Malava had welcomed his decision to reject the government appointment.
“Since they began the stories of appointing me as a CS, many have messaged me and the people of Kabras have told me ‘do not dare join that bloody government’,” Panyako alleged.
During the interview, Panyako claimed that some of his agents had been bribed by his opponents with Ksh15,000.
He also claimed that the police were involved in attacks carried out by his opponents, stating that a police officer had warned him of an impending attack, prompting him to go into hiding before the elections.
Panyako also claimed that he had tried and failed to contact the Deputy Inspector General of Police, Douglas Masengeli.
Panyako lost to UDA’s candidate David Ndakwa in the Malava by-elections on November 27.
