Willis Otieno slams Nandi governor for declaring interest in 2027 MP seat
Lawyer and political commentator Willis Otieno has criticised Nandi Governor Stephen Sang after he declared that he will be running for a Member of Parliament (MP) seat in the 2027 elections.
Speaking on Wednesday, October 1, 2025, Sang stated that his age does not allow him to retire from politics.
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“I am now 40 years old, serving my last term as governor. Can I just retire? No. I am still young and I will vie for the MP position in 2027. It may feel like a demotion, but I have no option,” he stated.
In a statement on Thursday, October 2, 2025, Otieno questioned how a youthful governor could openly admit to lacking skills beyond politics.
“Imagine a whole governor at 40 confessing he has no skills beyond politics. If leadership is nothing more than Sang’s retirement plan, then Kenya is not led but looted,” Otieno said.
He accused Kenyan politicians of treating public office as personal lifeboats while exploiting the very citizens meant to keep them afloat.
“A country where politicians see offices as lifeboats and the people as the water to keep them afloat is already cooked,” he added.
Governor Sang
Sang joined politics in 2013, when he was elected Senator for Nandi County at the age of 28.
Also watch: Governor Sang leads charge for Ruto’s re-election, says record will shock Kenyans.
During his term, he chaired the Sessional Committee on Delegated Legislation, served as Vice-Chairperson of the Committee on Legal Affairs and Human Rights, and represented Kenya at the Inter-Parliamentary Union (IPU).
In the 2017 general election, Sang was elected Governor of Nandi County at 32, making him the youngest governor in Kenya under devolution. He was re-elected in 2022 for a second term.
At the Council of Governors, Sang has held leadership roles, including Chair of the Intergovernmental Relations Committee. He currently serves as the Chief Whip.
After university, Sang began his career in community development.
In 2009, he worked as a Program Officer at Emo Community Development.
He then served as Executive Director of the Rift Valley Development Trust from 2010 to 2011. From 2011 to 2013, he served as a programme specialist with USAID/Chemonics before joining politics.
