Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Eliud Owalo Launches New Political Party, Declares 2027 Presidential Bid.

 

By Christopher mbiti 

Former ICT Cabinet Secretary Dr. Eliud Owalo has declared his intention to run for president in the 2027 General Election, unveiling an economic transformation agenda centred on what he called Kenya's "third liberation."

Speaking on Wednesday during the launch of the People's Prosperity Party (PPP) in Nairobi, Owalo said Kenya had achieved political independence and multiparty democracy but was yet to attain economic freedom.

He argued that the country's biggest challenge was widespread poverty, which he blamed on decades of poor leadership, corruption and an economic system that benefits a few at the expense of the majority.

"Kenya now needs the third liberation. The first liberation gave us political independence, the second restored multiparty democracy, but the one liberation remaining today is economic. We must free Kenyans from abject poverty," Owalo said.

He said the People's Prosperity Party's slogan, "Ustawi Kwa Wote," reflects his vision of creating a prosperous Kenya where economic growth is shared equally and every citizen has access to opportunities.

Owalo outlined a raft of economic reforms that he said his administration would implement if elected.

Among the proposals are reducing income tax from 35 percent to 20 percent, lowering Value Added Tax (VAT) from 16 percent to 10 percent, abolishing the digital tax to support young people in the digital and creative economy, and reducing corporate tax by five percentage points.

"You do not need to increase taxes to raise more revenue. What we need is to widen the tax base by bringing more Kenyans into gainful economic activity," he said.

On public debt, Owalo pledged to conduct a forensic audit of all previous government borrowing to establish how the funds were used and hold those responsible for any misuse accountable.

"I will institute a forensic audit on all previous debts so that Kenyans can know who borrowed the money, what it was used for and whether it benefited the people. Those found to have abused public resources will face the full force of the law," he said.

He also promised to run a zero budget deficit by eliminating corruption and government waste while increasing efficiency through digitisation.

Drawing on his tenure in government, Owalo said expanding digital government services significantly increased revenue collection and reduced opportunities for corruption.

"We need to seal all revenue leakages through digitisation. It is one of the most effective ways of fighting corruption," he said.

The presidential hopeful also pledged to reopen corruption cases dating back to the promulgation of the 2010 Constitution, saying the country needed accountability and justice.

Owalo further promised free primary education, free day secondary education and free healthcare in all public hospitals, arguing that prudent management of public resources would make the programmes sustainable.

To address youth unemployment, he proposed expanding opportunities in the digital and creative economy, connecting young people to global technology companies and creating jobs outside major urban centres.

He also pledged major investments in sports, including establishing grassroots talent identification centres, high altitude training facilities for athletes, modern sports infrastructure, and pension and medical schemes for retired sportsmen and women.

Owalo said his administration would uphold constitutionalism, strengthen the rule of law and reform the public service to make it more citizen centred.

He described himself as offering "fresh leadership" rather than aligning with established political camps.

"I am neither advocating for one term nor two terms. I am advocating for a fresh team. We need transformational leadership that will deliver real change for Kenyans," he said.

Taking a swipe at both government and opposition leaders, Owalo argued that many had been in positions of power for decades without addressing the country's economic challenges.

"These are the same people who have been in government for over 30 years. What do they want to fix now that they have failed to fix all that time? Kenya needs a new generation of transformational leaders," he said.

Owalo said his vision is to build a country where no child dies because of poverty, no family is denied healthcare because they cannot afford it, and every Kenyan has an equal opportunity to prosper.

Owalo becomes the latest politician to declare interest in the 2027 presidential race. Others who have publicly expressed interest include former Vice President Kalonzo Musyoka, former Chief Justice David Maraga, activist Boniface Mwangi and Roots 

Party leader George Wajackoyah, among others.

Ends.