Nominated Senator Esther Okenyuri will forever be grateful to President William Ruto for the phone call that revived her political aspirations.

Okenyuri shared her life story on TV47’s Mfahamu Kiongozi show hosted by Elizabeth Mutuku every Thursday at 7:30 pm.

“I graduated from campus in December 2015. I got a job at Safaricom where I worked for about seven months. I quit my job towards the end of 2016 to join politics,” she began.

Campaigning for Uhuru- Essy Okenyuri

In 2017, Senator Okenyuri mobilized youth to campaign for former President Uhuru Kenyatta under the Jubilee Party. Luckily, Kenyatta was re-elected, earning her a chance to join the government.

Okenyuri was reportedly listed among candidates who would be nominated to the Kisii County Assembly.

However, luck was not on her side as she missed the opportunity at the very last stage of verification.

“I was in the village so I did not understand politics playing out at the national level. Someone managed to remove my name from the list of nominees at the last minute,” the politician recalled.

Surprise Phone Call From Ruto

Relentless, she put up a spirited fight to regain the nomination, to the extent of filing a case in court. By 2018, Okenyuri gave up and retreated to the village a defeated soul.

One phone call eight months later however changed her life.

“I received a call one day when I was in a matatu. I did not recognize the number at first but I told the driver to shut down the music and park by the roadside,” the politician narrated.

To her surprise, it was the then deputy president William Ruto.

“He asked me how I was doing and I said I was okay but things on my end political-wise did not go as planned.

“He told me to come to Nairobi and bring along my CV so that he could gauge my academic abilities and offer me a job,” Okenyuri added.

Return To Politics

The politician reportedly took a trip to Nairobi that evening and reported to Harambee Annex by 8 a.m. the following day.

“I got a job as a researcher in the Strategy and Delivery unit. My boss at the time was Dr John Chikati who is now the MP of Tongaren,” she narrated.

She eventually dived back into the political scene in 2022 when she campaigned for President William Ruto under the ‘Women for Ruto’ movement.

Okenyuri was rewarded with a senate nomination and was sworn into office in November 2022.