Who Is Running for Kisumu Senator in 2027?

The Kisumu Senate seat is open for 2027. Prof Tom Ojienda (Senator, Kisumu) of the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) is running for governor instead. Declared aspirants include Stephen Nyandiare, a lawyer seeking the ODM ticket, and former Citizen TV host Willis Raburu, who in April 2026 joined the Linda Mwananchi movement fronted by Edwin Sifuna (Senator, Nairobi). The contest is a small version of the split that has run through Nyanza since Raila Odinga's death, between ODM's pact with Ruto and the Linda Mwananchi rebels.

Who holds the seat now

Parliament lists Ojienda as the elected ODM Senator; he won in 2022. On 25 August 2026 The Star counted him among eight aspirants hoping to succeed Anyang' Nyong'o (Governor, Kisumu), who is in his second and final term. Nobody can stand for two seats at once, so the Senate race will have no incumbent.

The declared aspirants

Tuko News headlines in May and July 2026 described polls that placed businessman Samuel Odoro and Raburu near the top of the field. We could not read the pollster's name, sample or fieldwork dates, so we are not reporting the figures.

Stephen Nyandiare

The Star reported on 23 January 2026 that Nyandiare, a lawyer from Kisumu West, would seek the ODM ticket. He described a long association with Raila Odinga, whom he said he first met at 16 while living in Manyatta. "I knew Raila beyond the public image," he said. He said his aim is "to protect devolution and ensure resources translate into real change for the people".

Willis Raburu

Raburu joined Linda Mwananchi at a meeting with James Orengo (Governor, Siaya), The Star reported on 23 April 2026. "Willis is running for the Kisumu Senatorial seat, and we are thrilled he's chosen to board our bus," Orengo said. Raburu worked at Citizen TV from 2010 to 2023 and later hosted a show on TV47, leaving in 2024.

On 26 July 2026 Tuko News reported that Raburu had been hit by a car during a Linda Mwananchi event. The account came from Raburu himself.

ODM or Linda Mwananchi: the real contest

Kisumu has voted ODM since the party was founded. Our ODM explainer covers what changed after October 2025. In 2026 the party and its former Secretary-General are pulling in opposite directions:

• ODM, led by Oburu Oginga (Senator, Siaya), backs the broad-based arrangement with President Ruto. The party chair, Gladys Wanga (Governor, Homa Bay), said on 13 September 2026 that 14 of ODM's 15 governors support it.
• Ruto opened his Nyanza tour in Kisumu on 13 September 2026. The government said projects worth more than Sh220 billion were under way across four Nyanza counties.
• Linda Mwananchi, fronted by Sifuna, Orengo and Babu Owino (Embakasi East), is recruiting candidates against that arrangement. Raburu is one.

The Star reported on 8 September 2026 that the UDA-ODM zoning proposal would leave Luo Nyanza "fully zoned" to ODM. If that holds, UDA would not field a Kisumu Senate candidate, and the contest comes down to ODM's nominee against whoever carries the Linda Mwananchi banner.

That banner has a practical problem. Linda Mwananchi is not a registered party, so its candidates need a party vehicle; see why a movement cannot put anyone on a ballot. Sifuna's camp said on 22 September 2026 that one would be unveiled around 3 October.

What to watch

• How ODM chooses its Kisumu Senate nominee, and whether it is contested.
• Which registered party Linda Mwananchi candidates use.
• The governor race, with eight aspirants named by The Star, which pulls the Senate campaigns behind it. Our Linda Mwananchi report covers the movement's Nyanza pull, and what a senator does covers the job itself.
• Senate nominations at the IEBC run from 29 May to 2 June 2027.