One of Kenya’s leading investors in education, Abdi A. Lidonde, has thrown his hat in the ring and now wants to unseat Ikolomani MP Bernard Shinali, who will be seeking a fourth term.

Lidonde’s vast experience in education has earned him the tag ‘Brains Anvil’ in the US and Ikolomani.

He is the founder and director of Naivasha-based Beverly School of Kenya, a premier institution international curriculum and specialises in the development of gifted children, says in his manifesto that he wants to leverage his international network to facilitate active participation of Kenyans in diaspora in local economy and skills upgrade in all spheres of national life.

According of Central Bank of Kenya data, diaspora remittances to country reached Ksh54.68 billion ($423 million) in 2025, marking a 13.8 per cent increase compared to the previous year, with cumulative inflows for the year totalling Ksh656.99 billion ($5.08 billion).

These remittances, though, are traditionally ‘misapplied’, therefore undermining the impact of such funds sent back home by Kenyans living in foreign countries.

“I am not just running for Member of Parliament for Ikolomani Constituency in Kakamega County, Western Kenya. I represent a new generation of leadership – one that is rooted in the community, refined by global exposure and driven by measurable impact. For over three decades, I have lived and worked in the diaspora building networks, mobilising resources and strengthening Kenya’s development footprint abroad. I now seek to bring that global capital – financial, intellectual and relational directly to Ikolomani in particular and Kakamega in general,” Lidonde says.

The aspirant hails from one Kenya’s famous footballing families. His father Elijah Lidonde played a key role in the formation of Abaluhyia Football Club that later changed its name to AFC Leopards Sports Club. The senior Lidonde played for the club alongside the legends Joe Kadenge, Jonathan Nova, Madegwa, Hezekiah Ang’ana and Shem Chimoto, among others.

Abdi Lidonde’s younger brother, Tony Lidonde, was a pivotal member of the AFC Leopards SC team that won the Council East and Central Africa Football Associations in Mogadishu, Somalia in 1979. Tony later become team manager of the club before he retired to look after his elderly father in Ikolomani, Kakamega.

Abdi Lidonde candidature coincides with the tussle to control massive gold deposits discovered in Isulu. The aspirant will grapple with tension mounting in Ikolomani after reports of a planned relocation of residents to pave way for a multi-billion gold mining project A British company, Shanta Gold Limited, is said to be eyeing large deposits of gold in Isulu and Bushiangala, valued at Ksh683 billion ($4.61 billion). Locals who have relied on small-scale mining for generations said they were not consulted and accused the government of betrayal

Abdi promises a deviation from the established norm. Unlike career politicians who are often accused of thriving on rhetoric, Lidonde says he will ancho his campaigns on the support for women and youth economic empowerment projects through ongoing projects in Kakamega.

“I have played a central role in the establishment of Beverly School of Kenya. I have advanced STEM education through Beverly Early Years STEM Centre and served as a focal point for the continental initiative STEM power Africa,” he says.

In addition, he says, he helped initiate partnerships with leading institutions that include Georgia Institute of Technology (Georgia Tech) and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the United States, and Pwani University in Kenya,

H explains, “This is leadership that understands systems, partnerships, accountability and delivery. This why Ikolomani needs him now. Ikolomani is rich in talent, land and resilience; but underleveraged in global opportunity.”

He is now looking to leverage diaspora investment pipeline, which he hopes will institutionalise structured engagement between Ikolomani and the Kenyan diaspora in the United States and the rest of the world.

This includes: investment forums, SME capital linkages, agricultural value-chain partnerships, education and technology collaborations and constituency development model based on partnerships.

Rather than waiting for government allocations, Lidonde says he will leverage university collaborations, attract philanthropic foundations, structure public-private partnerships, channel diaspora remittances into productive investments, youth and women economic transformation

With a strong history of empowering youth and women, he says, he wants to channel his energies to technical and vocational pathways, digital skills and coding initiatives, agribusiness incubation, access to microfinance networks, ongoing programmes. Among them are Ikolomani Women Enterprise Sacco – Micro-Credit Scheme for Widows at Musoli, Youth Empowerment Programme – Bushiangala, Lidonde Sports Tournament and Malinya widows support programme. He also plans to be a bridge between Kenya and the diaspora.

Lidonde is positioning himself to be an ambassador of Ikolomani to the US diaspora and a connector between Kenyan innovation and American institutional capital, besides being a “trusted convener of bilateral opportunity”.

“I understand both systems, the governance realities in Kenya and the expectations of institutions abroad. For the diaspora, supporting my campaign is not just political participation, it is strategic nation-building,” he points out.

He hopes to be an MP who tracks performance through measurable indicators, publishes transparent development scorecards, uses technology to engage constituents, builds sustainable partnerships beyond five-year election cycles, legislate and mobilise.

For Kenyans abroad who have long asked, “How do we meaningfully shape development back home?” he offers the following response:

“This is that moment. Supporting Abdi Lidonde means investing in credible leadership, institutional linkages, accountable development, a replicable model for diaspora-driven transformation.”

• A Tell Media report / By Samini Juma