By Elizabeth Angira
Kisii County Nominated Senator Essy Okenyuri has declared her intention to contest the Kisii Woman Representative seat in the 2027 General Election.
Okenyuri made the announcement during President William Rutoβs development tour at Ogembo Bomachoge Chache Constituency.
She said she was ready to take her political career to the next level by seeking an elective position after serving in the Senate as a nominated legislator.
She expressed confidence in her ability to represent women, girls, young people and other vulnerable groups across the county, saying her experience in national leadership had prepared her for the job.
The declaration ends months of speculation among residents and political observers over which seat she would pursue.
Okenyuri also said she was ready to take over from the incumbent, Dorice Donya Aburi, who has expressed interest in contesting the Bonchari parliamentary seat in 2027.
Okenyuri has been involved in parliamentary affairs and grassroots initiatives, particularly in education, womenβs empowerment and the welfare of disadvantaged communities. In the Senate, she has championed issues affecting women and girls and supported initiatives aimed at improving access to education and creating opportunities for young people.
Education at the centre of her community initiatives
Beyond Parliament, Okenyuri has used the Essy Okenyuri Nyaituga Foundation to advance community development programmes, with education as a key focus.
The foundation was established in 2023 and registered with the Non-Governmental Organisations Co-ordination Board in 2024. It supports disadvantaged communities through charitable, educational and economic empowerment initiatives.
Its programmes include book donations to schools, education bursaries for needy learners, youth and women entrepreneurship, leadership mentorship and community health initiatives.
Through its education programme, the foundation identifies schools with inadequate learning resources and donates books and other materials to them. This is particularly important in rural communities, where some learners struggle to access adequate textbooks.
In September 2024, Okenyuri visited Mosenseme Secondary School in Bomachoge Borabu, where she donated textbooks worth KSh300,000 and encouraged parents and teachers to nurture a reading culture among learners. In July 2025, she donated more than 300 books to Mokorogoinwa Secondary School through the foundation.
The foundation also supports needy students through bursaries and school-fee assistance, while its leadership programme seeks to nurture young people into responsible leaders.
Its women and youth entrepreneurship programme helps beneficiaries identify and make use of available economic opportunities.
Why Okenyuri wears school uniform
One of the most distinctive features of Okenyuriβs school outreach is her decision to wear a school uniform to selected school events.Β She has adopted the uniform as a symbolic way of connecting with learners and reminding them of the importance of education.
She says the gesture shows learners that she, too, once sat at a school desk, and that success is achievable through discipline, commitment, sacrifice and hard work.
By dressing like the students, she says, she hopes to close the distance between political leaders and young people and make it easier for them to identify with her journey.
In many school occasions, she appears in full school uniform and joined students in singing and dancing. She encourages them to remain disciplined and focused on their education.
She has also used such occasions to caution girls against distractions that could interfere with their studies, including early relationships, and to urge them to make responsible decisions about their future.
Her message is that a learnerβs background should not determine how far they can go, and that education remains a tool for overcoming social and economic barriers.
The Woman Representative seat
The Woman Representative represents womenβs interests in the National Assembly and supports programmes targeting vulnerable groups, including women, children and persons with disabilities. The seat is county-wide, so Okenyuri will need to win votes across all nine constituencies in Kisii.
With Donya eyeing the Bonchari seat and Okenyuri declaring her interest in the county-wide position, the contest to represent Kisii women is beginning to take shape.
Those who have shown interests to vie for the seat are Dolfine Bwari, Roselyne Nyakona, Bridgit Ombati, Gladsy Ayera among others
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