Born and raised in Hilo, Kekela graduated from Waiākea High School and went on to receive a business degree at Midland University in Nebraska. He moved back to Hilo in January 2020 and now owns marketing and communications company Kekela Enterprises and is active in Hui ‘Ohana, the Hawai‘i Island Native Hawaiian Chamber of Commerce.
Contributions to Kahele fell off in the first quarter of 2022 while Case saw more donations to his campaign and Schatz continued to bring in significant sums.