Panyako: Unveiling My Grievances with Ruto
Mr. Seth Panyako, the outspoken secretary-general of the Kenya National Union of Nurses (Knun), resigned from UDA, indicating a dispute with the party’s top leadership.
Panyako, who ran unsuccessfully for the Malaya parliamentary seat on the UDA ticket, stated that the Kenya Kwanza leadership had broken promises made to Kenyans during the campaigns preceding the August 9, 2022, presidential election.
Mr. Panyako, speaking at the burial of former Maendeleo Democratic Party leader Joseph Amisi Omukanda in Esumeiya, Navakholo constituency on Saturday, stated that he had spoken with President William Ruto and decided to resign from UDA due to his criticism of the government’s 3 percent housing fund deductions and the Finance Bill 2023.
“Yesterday (Friday) at approximately 7:00 p.m., I spoke with the President about my decision to oppose the 3% housing plan and my criticism of the Finance Bill 2023, which I believe will overburden Kenyans by increasing taxes.
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Unjustifiable.
Mr. Panyako stated, “Due to the position I’ve assumed, I am unable to continue holding my position as an official at UDA.”
He then criticized the Kenya Kwanza administration for breaking its promises to create jobs and put money into the pockets of unemployed Kenyans.
Mr. Panyako stated on the Esumeiya primary school grounds, “I have decided to be with the ordinary Kenyans because during the campaign we made many promises, including evaluating the cost of living. However, it appears that this government has changed the narrative and is now going after the poor Kenyans by increasing prices of basic commodities and burdening them with new taxes.”
However, it has come to light that Mr. Panyako has been sulking over what he perceives as the President’s failure to reward him for his contribution to the campaigns.
Mr. Panyako avoided the event when President Ruto visited Malaya constituency on April 29 to inaugurate the 13-kilometer Malava-Kimang’eti-Ikoli road.
Mr. Panyako avoided the event when President Ruto visited Malaya constituency on April 29 to inaugurate the 13-kilometer Malava-Kimang’eti-lkoli road.
President Ruto has also been working closely with ANC Malaya MP Malulu Injendi, a move that has thwarted Mr. Panyako’s plan to solidify his position as the UDA’s regional point man.
Mr. Panyako perceives that his party is ignoring him in his Malaya constituency backyard.
According to sources within the UDA party, Mr. Panyako has been lobbying for a key government position in the hopes that President Ruto will reward him.
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Shattered hopes for engagements
After losing the race for the Malaya parliamentary seat to Mr. Injendi, Mr. Panyako had hoped that President Ruto would reward him with an appointment to a key government position, but this did not occur.
In recent months, he has spent a considerable amount of time at his Kakamega, Kenya, office.
Cleophas Malala, secretary general of the UDA, stated that President Ruto had asked Mr. Panyako to resign from the party for openly campaigning against government plans and the Kenya Kwanza manifesto.
“Mr. Panyako was daydreaming when he informed mourners of his resignation from the UDA party. According to the documentation I possess, Hassan Omar Sarai is the UDA’s deputy chairman of Operations.
Mr. Malala stated, “Mr. Panyako’s name does not appear anywhere on the list of current UDA officials.” Mr. Panyako, he said, had sent the wrong message by criticizing his party on issues that the Kenya Kwanza administration had promised Kenyans it would implement as part of its platform.
Our manifesto includes the housing project. “As a party, we are implementing what we promised Kenyans, and we are determined to adhere to the manifesto to the letter,” Malala stated.
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The Nation was unsuccessful in contacting Mr. Panyako for an interview about his troubles with the UDA.
He did not respond to calls made to his mobile phone or text messages.
His assistant, Mr. John Karakacha, stated, “I am attempting to contact him and will provide an update later.”
It is unclear how Mr. Panyako, the outspoken trade unionist, intends to reinvent himself politically, but he appears to be plotting to ride the anti-government protests against the housing plan and the Finance Bill 2023 to find a new political footing.
Panyako: Unveiling My Grievances with Ruto
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