Malava MP aspirant Seth Panyako breaks down in tears before casting vote/SCREENGRABDrama unfolded in Malava on Thursday morning after Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) MP candidate Seth Panyako broke down in tears moments before casting his vote, claiming he was the target of an attack plot by hired goons.
The emotional incident occurred at St Joseph’s Lunyu K Primary School, where Panyako arrived accompanied by DAP-K party leader Eugene Wamalwa and several other officials.
Dressed in a white patterned shirt and visibly shaken, Panyako was seen removing his glasses as tears streamed down his face.
Wamalwa stood by his side, holding and consoling him as the MP hopeful struggled to regain composure before heading into the polling room.
In the background of a video seen by The Star, aides could be heard instructing journalists not to take photos of the emotional moment.
He alleged that the assault was part of a wider plot aimed at stopping him from participating in the polls.
Despite the distress, Panyako later gathered himself and proceeded to cast his ballot.
His arrival caused a brief stir at the polling centre.
The Malava by-election has evolved into a fierce race, widely viewed as a major test of political strength of the United Opposition Alliance in Kakamega county and a measure of the unity within President William Ruto’s broad-based government.
The contest pits UDA candidate David Ndakwa—formerly the minority leader in the Kakamega County Assembly—against Panyako, a key united opposition aspirant figure.
Both candidates have conducted intense grassroots campaigns across the constituency’s wards, each seeking to secure victory in the seat left vacant following the death of MP Malulu Injendi.
Two United Democratic Alliance (UDA) aspirants from Malava constituency who lost in the party primaries have since been appointed to diplomatic positions in Uganda and South Africa.
The appointments, announced on Monday by Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi, were for Simon Kangwana, who will serve as Education Attachee at the Kenyan Mission in Uganda, and Rhyan Injendi Malulu, named Trade Attachee at the Kenyan Embassy in South Africa.
The two were among three aspirants promised government positions in exchange for backing David Ndakwa, the ruling party’s candidate in the by-election.
Another aspirant, Leonard Shimaka, was last month appointed a Commissioner at the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) for a three-year term.
