Who Is Running for Elgeyo-Marakwet Governor in 2027?

Wisley Rotich (Governor, Elgeyo-Marakwet) of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) is in his first term and is seeking a second on 10 August 2027. As of 23 September 2026 the two challengers named in reporting were former Keiyo South MP Jackson Kiptanui and businessman Moses Changwony, both of whom have run before. Nobody had formally closed the field, and the real contest is for the UDA ticket.

The seat and the 2022 result

Elgeyo-Marakwet has four constituencies: Keiyo North, Keiyo South, Marakwet East and Marakwet West.

Rotich was deputy governor under Alex Tolgos (Governor, Elgeyo-Marakwet), who served two terms from 2013 to 2022. In April 2022 Rotich beat Joseph Boinnet for the UDA ticket, the Daily Nation reported. The general election that August was one-sided.

Those are the figures the Kenya News Agency reported at the county declaration. Citizen Digital gave Rotich 147,705, one vote fewer.

On the same day Kipchumba Murkomen (Senator, Elgeyo-Marakwet) was re-elected with 141,091 votes against 20,684 for Tolgos, who had crossed to Jubilee. Murkomen then joined the Cabinet, and William Kisang (Senator, Elgeyo-Marakwet) of UDA took the seat in a by-election.

Who is in the field

The Star reported on 17 November 2025 that Rotich was anchoring his bid on his development record, with residents crediting him with steadying the county's hospitals. "For now it's time to serve our people. We will deal with politics when that time comes," he told the paper.

Jackson Kiptanui (Keiyo South) is the name most often mentioned against him. The same Star report said many locals see him as Rotich's strongest challenger and that he was quietly rebuilding his political machinery. "When elections come, we will be guided by the people of Elgeyo Marakwet," he said.

Moses Changwony, a former managing director of Sasini, would be making a third attempt at the governorship, according to the Star. He finished third in 2022 as an independent.

Boinnet, now a presidential security adviser, lost the 2022 primary to Rotich and had said nothing public about 2027 as of that report.

We found no poll of the Elgeyo-Marakwet governor race published by 23 September 2026. Reporting on this county is thin, and this list may grow once parties open their nomination calendars.

Murkomen's shadow

Kipchumba Murkomen, now the Interior Cabinet Secretary, does not hold a county seat, but every aspirant wants to be seen next to him. The Star described him as the political heavyweight to watch, with elected leaders and hopefuls lining up at his public events.

He has stayed out of open endorsements in Elgeyo-Marakwet. Across the border he has not: the Star reported on 2 July 2026 that he endorsed Uasin Gishu Governor Jonathan Bii for re-election. That race is covered in who is running for Uasin Gishu governor.

A governor and his deputy

Rotich's relationship with his deputy, Grace Cheserek, has gone sour in public. At the launch of the Marakwet Bible translation in Tot, Marakwet East, at the start of August 2026, she took the microphone after he introduced other officials without naming her. "Governor, you should stop demeaning me. I am the deputy governor, and you should introduce me as such," she said, the Star reported on 2 August. Murkomen and several governors were present.

It was the second public clash that year. The two also differed over Mashujaa Day, after the national celebrations planned for Elgeyo-Marakwet were moved to Eldoret and Cheserek said she would attend a parallel event at Kamariny Stadium. Rotich has denied sidelining her. A deputy's formal powers are narrow, as we set out in the deputy governor's one constitutional job. A split still matters in 2027, because Rotich has to present a running mate with his nomination papers.

Keiyo, Marakwet and the other seats

County politics here turns on the two main communities. The Keiyo are the larger group, but they tend to field several candidates, which the Star noted has historically helped the Marakwet bloc.

Tolgos himself is now after a smaller seat. The Standard reported in August 2026 that he has declared for Marakwet West, where he would face Timothy Kipchumba (Marakwet West), who won in 2022 as an independent, for the UDA ticket. The Woman Rep seat is also held by an independent, Caroline Ng'elechei (Women Rep, Elgeyo-Marakwet), who beat UDA's candidate in 2022 by 104,928 votes to 58,928.

Those two results are the reason nobody treats a UDA ticket here as the end of the story. It is the likeliest route to the governor's office, but Elgeyo-Marakwet voters have sent independents to Parliament.

Dates to watch

Party primaries must be finished by 8 May 2027. The steps before that, from party nomination rules to membership lists, are laid out in the 2027 election calendar. What the winner will actually run is explained in what a governor controls.