Steward Madzayo is a name that has been making the news, especially since the August 2022 polls and well into the nationwide protests organised by his Azimio Coalition leader Raila Odinga.
His mastery of Swahili language with which he debates in the Senate makes him stand out among equals at the respected house.
On March 23, 2023, he was among the 6 Azimio coalition legislators charged with taking part in an unlawful assembly of crowds at the Kahawa Law Courts.
"Ugunja MP James Opiyo Wandayi, Kilifi Senator Stewart Madzayo, Richard Chonga (Kilifi South MP), Amina Laura Mnyazi (Malindi), George Yogo Obure and Esther Oromion March 20, 2023, at around 10:00 am along City Hall way in Nairobi county jointly with others not before the court, took part in an unlawful assembly," the charge sheet read in part.
As a result, the Senator faces a one-year jail term if he is found guilty of the charges.
His journey to the political realm has, however, not been an easy one and was marked by eventful twists believed to have nurtured his leadership skills.
For starters, he is one of the few Kenyans who have successfully transitioned from the judiciary, a straightforward institution governed by Constitutional ideals, into the legislature where power is mostly determined by footsoldier power and oratory skills.
After pursuing a Diploma in Law at the Kenya School of Law and Madzayo was admitted to the Roll of Advocates in 1988.
He practiced law until 2003 when he switched from litigating to judging. At the advent of Mwai Kibaki’s presidency, he joined the Industrial Court where he served as a magistrate from 2003 to 2012.
The court dealt with labour matters where he dealt with matter such as Kenya Union of Post Primary Education Teachers (KUPPET) versus Teachers Service Commission (TSC) under case number 345/2012.
The Industrial Court was later transformed into the Employment and Labour Relations Court under Article 162 (2) (a) of the Constitution of Kenya 2010.
Madzayo then leaped from holding the gavel into the political world. He joined the Senate and also represented Kenya as a Member of Parliament in the Pan-African Parliament from 2017 to 2022.
Other Kenyan politicians who served alongside him at the Pan-African Parliament include Beatrice Kones, Janet Ongera, Abdullahi Ibrahim Ali, and Jude Njomo.
The Pan-African Parliament is an organ of the African Union (AU) and is based in Midrand in Johannesburg, South Africa.
As a politician, he vied for the Kilifi Senatorial position on an Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) Party ticket which he won.
He is currently the Senate Minority leader serving his third term, making him the longest-serving Senator since the advent of the 2010 Constitution.
