Who Is Running for West Pokot Governor in 2027?

Simon Kachapin (Governor, West Pokot) is serving his second term as governor, and under Article 180(7) of the Constitution that should be his last. The two declared candidates to succeed him are the man he beat in 2022, former governor John Lonyang'apuo, who launched his bid on 14 April 2026, and David Pkosing (Pokot South), who is seeking the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.

The seat and the 2022 result

West Pokot has four constituencies: Kapenguria, Sigor, Kacheliba and Pokot South.

The county has swapped the same two men twice. Kachapin was its first governor from 2013, lost to Lonyang'apuo in 2017, and took the seat back in 2022 by fewer than 2,000 votes.

The margin was 1,866.

Can Kachapin run again?

Article 180(7) reads: "A person shall not hold office as a county governor for more than two terms." Kachapin has now held it twice, with a gap between.

The Nation reported in November 2023 that some of the eight governors who had won back their seats in 2022, Kachapin among them, were arguing that the limit applies only to consecutive terms and wanted the Supreme Court to say so. Bobby Mkangi, who sat on the Committee of Experts that drafted the 2010 Constitution, told the Nation the clause meant two terms "whether consecutive or staggered". We found no court ruling allowing a third term.

Kachapin has not said plainly what he will do. Answering Lonyang'apuo's corruption charges in April 2026, he told The Standard: "The people will decide in 2027. They know who is working and who is engaging in empty rhetoric."

Lonyang'apuo

Lonyang'apuo launched his campaign at Tartar Primary School and went straight at the county government. "When we left office, West Pokot was stable and on a clear development path. Today, it is being ranked among the most corrupt," he said, as The Standard reported on 14 April. He called for county executives and chief officers linked to graft to be sacked.

Julius Murgor (Senator, West Pokot) spoke at the launch and said the county gets about Sh8 billion a year "yet there is very little to show on the ground". Peter Lochakapong (Sigor) also attacked the state of roads and stalled projects. Those are claims made at a rally, and the county government rejected them.

The Standard describes Lonyang'apuo as leader of the Kenya Union Party. He is also firmly on the President's side: on 9 August 2026 he said William Ruto should be allowed a second term and dismissed both Rigathi Gachagua and Edwin Sifuna.

Pkosing and the elders

Pkosing joined UDA in April 2024, TV47 reported at the time, and The Standard said in April 2026 that he was eyeing the governorship on a UDA ticket.

On Sunday 30 August 2026, before sunrise at Longorok in Pokot North, elders installed him in a rare ceremony called Alem. They dressed him in a leopard skin and gave him a spear and a pen, declaring him the Pokot spokesman. One elder, John Pedoo Loinit, told The Standard that no Pokot leader had been crowned this way since Francis Lotodo, the late Cabinet minister. "I have never been given the instruments of power since I was born," Pkosing said. "The late Lotodo is my political saint."

The elders insisted Alem is not a political endorsement. Its timing, a year before the election, makes that a hard line to hold. What such endorsements are worth is examined in getting endorsed by elders.

Why the national parties care

The Star argued on 13 September 2026 that West Pokot is one of ten "forgotten" counties, with Samburu, Baringo and others, that could matter under the rule that a winning presidential candidate needs a quarter of the vote in 24 counties; the rule is explained in the 24-county rule. Lonyang'apuo and Pkosing both back Ruto, so the governor race here is mostly a contest inside the government side.

The county's northern neighbour is having its own race; see who is running for Turkana governor.

What to watch

Kachapin's own plans come first: whether he stands aside, backs one of the two, or tests the term limit. Then UDA's choice. Pkosing wants its ticket, and Lonyang'apuo has his own party, so the two could both end up on the ballot. Party primaries must be finished by about 8 May 2027, under the 2027 election calendar.