Who Is Running for Trans Nzoia Governor in 2027?
George Natembeya (Governor, Trans Nzoia) is in his first term and has said he will seek a second on 10 August 2027 rather than run for President. His challengers come from President William Ruto's side. Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has endorsed Susan Nakhumicha, Kenya's representative to UN-Habitat, and Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi said on 9 July 2026 that Kenya Kwanza would settle on one candidate from Nakhumicha, Chris Wamalwa and Maurice Bisau (Kiminini).
The seat and the 2022 result
Trans Nzoia has five constituencies: Kwanza, Endebess, Saboti, Kiminini and Cherangany.
Natembeya, a former Regional Commissioner, won comfortably on the Democratic Action Party of Kenya (DAP-K) ticket.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share |
|---|---|---|---|
| George Natembeya | DAP-K | 158,919 | 65.3% |
| Chris Wamalwa | Ford Kenya | 79,020 | 32.5% |
Infotrak's CountyTrak index, reported in August 2026, ranked him the second-best-performing governor in the country at 76 per cent.
Natembeya's party problem
Natembeya left DAP-K on 9 July 2026. He said party leader Eugene Wamalwa (Saboti) had refused his request to take the party beyond Western Kenya, the Eastleigh Voice reported. Days earlier he had hosted Edwin Sifuna and other Linda Mwananchi leaders at his Kitale home, where they endorsed Sifuna for President. People Daily reported on 24 July that Wamalwa was ready to field another candidate against him.
In August he ruled himself out of the presidential race. "What made me leave office as Regional Commissioner was not about the presidency; it was about the problems facing the people of Trans Nzoia, and I have not yet finished that work," he said, as Nairobi Leo and other outlets reported on 21 August.
His new vehicle has stalled. Natembeya's allies planned to rename the late Cyrus Jirongo's United Democratic Party as the Ukombozi People's Party. In a letter dated 8 September the Registrar of Political Parties said the name was too close to "The Ukombozi Alliance", the name reserved by Kalonzo Musyoka's coalition, and had not been approved; see why the Registrar blocked the name. The same month Babu Owino pushed for Linda Mwananchi to use his Mwananchi Party instead, a split covered in Linda Mwananchi's first split. As of 23 September 2026 the ballot name Natembeya would run under was unsettled.
He has also kept a line open to Rigathi Gachagua's camp. DCP's John Methu (Senator, Nyandarua) held talks with him on 1 September, The Star reported.
Kenya Kwanza's candidates
Wetang'ula endorsed Nakhumicha, a former Health Cabinet Secretary, in June and later said he had "established a home in Kitale" to see her elected, The Standard reported. Nakhumicha has been assured of the Ford Kenya ticket, according to the same report. People Daily reported on 30 August that Farouk Kibet, the President's aide, had also thrown his support behind her.
The other two want UDA's nomination. Chris Wamalwa, the 2022 runner-up, did not welcome Wetang'ula's choice. He told the Speaker to concentrate on Bungoma, saying he had "no business with the affairs of the county", and challenged him to fold Ford Kenya into UDA so that one nomination could decide the matter, The Standard reported. Bisau, the Kiminini MP, has also resisted the endorsement.
Mudavadi's promise was blunt. "We are coming for you. We are determined to reduce you to nothing," he said at Kitale Showground on 9 July. The region's broader contest between Ruto's allies and the opposition is in Mudavadi and Wetang'ula's Western Kenya problem.
One name that circulated turned out to be wrong. Foreign Affairs PS Korir Sing'oei said on 20 July 2026 that reports he would run for the seat were false, Kenyans.co.ke reported.
Wetang'ula and Wamalwa
Trans Nzoia is also where Wetang'ula and Eugene Wamalwa, the two biggest Luhya party leaders on opposite sides, meet on the ground. At a funeral in Saboti on 20 September 2026, Wetang'ula urged Wamalwa to join Ruto, as told in Wetang'ula wants Eugene Wamalwa to join Ruto. What Wamalwa's DAP-K does in this county, having lost the governor it elected, is part of DAP-K explained.
What to watch
Whether Kenya Kwanza actually gets down to one candidate. If Nakhumicha runs on Ford Kenya and a UDA nominee also runs, the government vote splits, which is the outcome Mudavadi said they wanted to avoid. And whether Natembeya's party is registered under a name the Registrar accepts before parties submit their nomination rules and membership lists.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is George Natembeya running for President in 2027?
No. In August 2026 Natembeya said he would seek a second term as Trans Nzoia governor and backed Edwin Sifuna for President.
Who is running against Natembeya in Trans Nzoia?
Kenya Kwanza's names are Susan Nakhumicha, endorsed by Speaker Wetang'ula and assured of the Ford Kenya ticket, and Chris Wamalwa and Kiminini MP Maurice Bisau, who want UDA's nomination. Mudavadi said in July 2026 the side would settle on one of them.
Which party is Natembeya in?
He left DAP-K on 9 July 2026. His allies' plan to rename the United Democratic Party as the Ukombozi People's Party was not approved by the Registrar in September 2026, so his 2027 ballot name was unsettled.