Who Is Running for Nandi Governor in 2027?

Nandi will elect a new governor on 10 August 2027. Stephen Sang (Governor, Nandi) of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) won in 2017 and again in 2022, and two terms is the constitutional limit. As of 23 September 2026 at least seven people were campaigning for the seat, among them Julius Melly (Tinderet), Cynthia Muge (Women Rep, Nandi), former governor Cleophas Lagat and lawyer Allan Kosgey.

Almost all of them want the UDA ticket. The Star put it plainly in May 2026: in Nandi, winning the ruling party's primary "could almost guarantee victory in the general election".

How Sang won, twice

Lagat was Nandi's first governor, elected in 2013. Sang beat him in 2017. They met again in 2022 after both sought the UDA ticket. Sang got it and Lagat ran as an independent.

Sang's total is the same in every report we read. Lagat's is not: Citizen Digital gave him 54,375 and Kenyans.co.ke 55,375. Either way, the margin was more than four to one.

Sang's own plans are less settled. The Star reported in May 2026 that he was said to be eyeing the Aldai parliamentary seat. We found no declaration from him by 23 September.

The field as of September 2026

Julius Melly has been MP for Tinderet since 2013 and chairs the National Assembly's Education Committee. He was a teacher and a school principal before Parliament, Education News reported. On 23 September 2026 the Star reported that he had sought "blessings and prayers" from his constituents as he moved to lock down his home base. "The people of Nandi can count on me," he told the paper earlier in the year.

Muge is described by the Star as a strong contender whose support is strongest among young voters. She has organised sports events that drew large crowds.

Cleophas Lagat is attempting a comeback ten years after losing the office. He has complained about outsiders trying to pick the next governor. "No one should tell us that they may intervene and control how residents vote," he said, as reported by the Star.

Allan Kosgey, a lawyer, was named alongside Muge as one of the leading aspirants. On 21 August 2026, at a burial in Sirwa village in Nandi East, he promised to raise ward bursary funds from Sh4 million to Sh10 million per ward, Education News reported.

The Star also listed Zaccius Rop, who runs the Hokil Foundation and campaigns heavily on social media, engineer Anderson Serem and finance specialist Antipas Tirop.

One more name floats around the race. Businessman David Langat, chair of DL Group, told mourners in Mosoriot in November 2025 that he could run for governor in 2027 if residents wanted him to, possibly in Nandi or Uasin Gishu, Billionaires.Africa reported. He had not declared by 23 September 2026.

No published poll of the Nandi governor race turned up in our search.

Who else matters

Felix Koskei, the Head of the Public Service, comes from Nandi. The Star describes him as an influential figure likely to shape local politics, though he is not a candidate.

Lagat did not name anyone when he warned about imposed candidates. In a county where President William Ruto's party is this dominant, though, the question of who Nairobi prefers hangs over every primary, and aspirants raise it early.

The neighbouring race in Elgeyo-Marakwet runs on the same logic, with a UDA incumbent instead of an open seat. It is covered in who is running for Elgeyo-Marakwet governor.

What decides it

With seven or more aspirants, the UDA primary is the election that counts. Parties must have their nomination rules certified before they can run one, and every primary must be finished by 8 May 2027. The sequence is set out in party primaries in 2027.

A crowded primary also produces losers with followings. In 2022 Lagat lost the UDA nomination and ran as an independent anyway. Anyone thinking of doing that in 2027 has to leave their party by the deadline explained in running as an independent.

Two things to watch before then: whether Sang endorses a successor, and whether any of the seven steps aside to become someone else's running mate. The powers the winner inherits are set out in what a governor actually controls.