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Deputy Majority Leader & MP for Kilifi North
Owen Yaa Baya (born 10 September 1971) is a Kenyan politician, educationist and strategist who serves as Deputy Majority Leader in the National Assembly and Member of Parliament for Kilifi North Constituency, now in his second term. First elected in 2017 on an ODM ticket and re-elected in 2022 under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), he is one of the most senior Coast leaders within the Kenya Kwanza administration, tasked with helping steer government business through the House and rallying the ruling coalition’s MPs during contentious debates. In the 13th Parliament he sits on key committees including Social Protection, Appointments, and Procedures and House Rules, extending earlier service on Lands, Implementation and Selection committees in the 12th Parliament. Beyond the chamber, he is known in Kilifi for assertive advocacy on land adjudication, infrastructure and social programmes, exemplified by petitions and motions on delayed land settlement and by a highly visible constituency presence both on the ground and on social media.
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Owen Yaa Baya (born 10 September 1971) is a Kenyan politician, educationist and strategist who serves as Deputy Majority Leader in the National Assembly and Member of Parliament for Kilifi North Constituency, now in his second term. First elected in 2017 on an ODM ticket and re-elected in 2022 under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), he is one of the most senior Coast leaders within the Kenya Kwanza administration, tasked with helping steer government business through the House and rallying the ruling coalition’s MPs during contentious debates. In the 13th Parliament he sits on key committees including Social Protection, Appointments, and Procedures and House Rules, extending earlier service on Lands, Implementation and Selection committees in the 12th Parliament. Beyond the chamber, he is known in Kilifi for assertive advocacy on land adjudication, infrastructure and social programmes, exemplified by petitions and motions on delayed land settlement and by a highly visible constituency presence both on the ground and on social media. Baya’s political profile is rooted in a long career in higher education management and county administration. A graduate of Kenyatta University with a Bachelor of Education (Arts) and a Master’s in Educational Economics and Planning, he is also a PhD candidate in higher-education economics and planning (Oldenburg/Pwani) and a Fulbright–Hubert Humphrey Fellow at Penn State, with additional training in university leadership (UNILEAD, DAAD) and strategic planning. Before entering elective politics he worked as a teacher and head of English at Kenyatta High School Mwatate, served as Deputy Principal of Coast Institute of Technology, then joined Pwani University as lecturer and Senior Assistant Registrar in charge of planning and policy, and later as Registrar, before being appointed County Secretary of Kilifi County in 2014. His broad governance experience is complemented by years of civic work—founding chair of Canon Mweri Secondary School, board roles in institutions such as Coast Institute of Technology, SCOPE, Track Kenya and CLARION, and columns in local newspapers—helping to cement his image as an “educationist-turned-politician” and one of the Coast’s more policy-focused legislators.
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Deputy Majority Leader, National Assembly (2022-Present)
Member of Parliament for Kilifi North (2017-Present)
Advocate for coastal region political and economic issues
Elevation to Deputy Majority Leader of the National Assembly Baya’s election/appointment as Deputy Majority Leader in the 13th Parliament is one of his most important achievements, placing him in the core leadership of the Kenya Kwanza government in Parliament. In this role he helps set the House agenda, whip votes for key government bills, and represents the ruling coalition’s position in high-stakes debates—making him one of the Coast region’s highest-ranking figures in national politics.
Transformational leadership in higher education and county governance Before and alongside his parliamentary career, Baya built a strong record as an education and governance reformer—rising from teacher and deputy principal to senior leadership at Pwani University (Senior Assistant Registrar/Registrar in charge of planning and policy), and later serving as County Secretary of Kilifi County, where he helped craft and implement county development plans. This trajectory, backed by his Fulbright–Humphrey fellowship and advanced studies in educational economics and planning, is widely cited as a key achievement that underpins his credibility on policy and development issues today.
A timeline of pivotal roles and responsibilities.
Teacher
Public Servant
Member of Parliament, Kilifi North (2017-Present)
Deputy Majority Leader (2022-Present)
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Owen Yaa Baya (born 10 September 1971) is a Kenyan politician, educationist and strategist who serves as Deputy Majority Leader in the National Assembly and Member of Parliament for Kilifi North Constituency, now in his second term. First elected in 2017 on an ODM ticket and re-elected in 2022 under the United Democratic Alliance (UDA), he is one of the most senior Coast leaders within the Kenya Kwanza administration, tasked with helping steer government business through the House and rallying the ruling coalition’s MPs during contentious debates. In the 13th Parliament he sits on key committees including Social Protection, Appointments, and Procedures and House Rules, extending earlier service on Lands, Implementation and Selection committees in the 12th Parliament. Beyond the chamber, he is known in Kilifi for assertive advocacy on land adjudication, infrastructure and social programmes, exemplified by petitions and motions on delayed land settlement and by a highly visible constituency presence both on the ground and on social media.
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Owen Baya is affiliated with United Democratic Alliance (UDA).
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