Who is Qillian Saiya? Mudavadi’s son weds KCSE top performer in glamorous ceremony

When Musalia Mudavadi’s son Moses Budamba Mudavadi exchanged wedding vows with his wife Qillian Saiya in the presence of dignitaries, including President William Ruto on Saturday, November 2025, it was not just the beginning of their journey together but the coming two respected families in Western Kenya.

The colourful wedding blended modern elegance with Christianity and the couple’s rich Luhya traditions and came two months after a glamorous traditional wedding at the bride’s home in Malava.

Guests at the wedding included prominent businessmen, top politicians including the president and his wife Mama Rachel Ruto who joined the family to celebrate the occasion.

READ: Maryanne Mudavadi’s impressive career, education, wedding & speech that made news

The groom stood tall in a tailored black suit with the bride dazzling in a white flowing gown that radiated joy and serenity at the event which united two prominent families.

Qillian Ndeso Saiya was born into a wealthy and well-connected family, with her father William Saiya at one point serving as the GSU commandant.

Her mother is former nominated senator, Naomi Shiyonga who served between 2017 and 2022 and had a career in public service spanning several years.

READ: Who is Chanelle Kittony? Meet Kiprono Kittony’s daughter married to Senator Chesang

Destiny and choices conspired to keep her in the line of sight of the son of yet another prominent family when she caught the eye of Moses Budamba Mudavadi.

Their romance culminated in the two prominent families coming together to celebrate a union that ushered them into a new chapter with a glamorous wedding.

Before making headlines with her romance and wedding to the son of a high-profile career, Qillian found her name in the news when she emerged among top students in Kenya Certificate of Secondary Education (KCSE).

The alumnus of Moi High School Kabarak scored an A with an aggregate of 83 points at a time when such a score was rare with Fred Matiang’i heading the Education docket and weeding out cheating.

She attributed the remarkable performance to discipline and perfectly balancing education with co-curricular activities.

Her passion for engineering saw her join Brookhouse School, settling in the engineering stream that

“I loved playing with numbers and after my form four, I joined Brookhouse School and joined the engineering stream. I was not sure what I wanted to study but focusing on engineering enabled me to discover that I love things that involve structures and road construction, building bridges, water engineering and piping systems.” Qillian explained in a past interview.

She afterwards joined Sheffield University in the United Kingdom to pursue her dreams, graduating with a Civil and Structural Engineering degree, second class upper division from the institution in 2019.

READ: Maryanne Mudavadi & Nyaga Karanja finally seal their union in a luxurious white wedding [Photos]

Her next stop was the University of Bath where she graduated with a MSC Management with Operations in 2020.

Built an impressive career that saw her rise quickly within the ranks of Kenya National Highways Authority (KENHA) where she works as an engineer.

READ: Who is Brian Belio? Meet PS Belio Kipsang’s son married to Nicole Langat

She joined KENHA as an intern in 2021 and rose to become an engineer two years later.

Her profile on LinkedIn indicates that she has also worked in an operations consulting project for Rolls-Royce Motor Cars as well as an International Students Ambassador at the University of Sheffield.