Who Is Running for Kakamega Senator in 2027?

Boni Khalwale (Senator, Kakamega) won the seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket in 2022, but he is among the challengers to Governor Fernandes Barasa, so the Senate seat is likely to be open in 2027. The aspirants reported so far include Brian Lishenga, who leads a private hospitals lobby; Raphael Welimo, a former drama teacher at Mukumu Girls; and Kevin Mahelo. The contest sits inside a wider Western Kenya fight between Ruto's allies and the opposition.

Who holds the seat now

Parliament lists Boni Khalwale as the elected UDA Senator for Kakamega. He held the seat once before, from 2013 to 2017.

People Daily has described him as a Kakamega governor aspirant. He has been named with Deputy Governor Ayub Savula and Elsie Muhanda (Women Rep, Kakamega) among those challenging Fernandes Barasa (Governor, Kakamega) of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). A candidate can stand for only one seat. If Khalwale is on the governor ballot, the Senate race has no incumbent.

The reported aspirants

Beyond what those outlets reported, we could not confirm party tickets for any of them, and the list should be read as early and incomplete. Whoever runs will need to be known across 12 constituencies, and the governor campaigns they line up behind can help with that.

The Oparanya question

Cabinet Secretary Wycliffe Oparanya, Kakamega's governor from 2013 to 2022, has faced repeated claims that he wants the Senate seat. People Daily reported on 3 May 2026 that he had responded to those claims, and Tuko News ran a video on 20 June in which he addressed them. We could not read enough of either to say whether he ruled the seat out.

He also figures in a much bigger conversation. The Nation reported in September 2026 that more than 25 Western MPs had endorsed him as ODM's nominee for Deputy President in a 2027 deal with Ruto, and The Standard reported on 7 September on a "supremacy battle" between Barasa and Oparanya.

The governor race pulls the Senate race behind it

Barasa, elected on ODM, is seeking a second term. His deputy, Ayub Savula, joined UDA in February 2026 and is running for governor on it, People Daily reported.

Former Senator Cleophas Malala, a senior figure in Rigathi Gachagua's Democracy for Citizens Party (DCP), is preparing a governor bid of his own, according to People Daily in June 2026. The Nation reported on 8 August that Malala had endorsed Edwin Sifuna for president. In September 2026 Barasa mocked Sifuna over the loss of the "Ukombozi" party name, the Nation reported.

Senate aspirants will attach themselves to these governor campaigns. Which of them gets a party ticket will depend on how UDA and ODM share out Western seats, if they agree at all.

A by-election already tested the county

Kakamega's Malava constituency held a by-election in 2025. Our review of what Malava, Kasipul and Mbeere North taught us covers what it showed about turnout and organisation.

The county the Senator covers

Kakamega has 12 constituencies: Lugari, Likuyani, Malava, Lurambi, Navakholo, Mumias West, Mumias East, Matungu, Butere, Khwisero, Shinyalu and Ikolomani. It is one of Western Kenya's largest vote banks; see why Western Kenya matters in 2027.

What to watch

Khalwale still has to settle on a seat and a party. Oparanya's name may or may not end up on a 2027 ballot at all.

For the Senate hopefuls, the calendar is tight. Party membership lists must be certified by 23 March 2027 and primaries must end by early May 2027, so an aspirant without a party home by the new year is running out of road. A UDA-ODM zoning deal for Western Kenya would decide a good deal of this; our explainer on how zoning works covers the mechanics. Senate nominations at the IEBC run from 29 May to 2 June 2027.