Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok (centre), former Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat (right) and former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto (left) at the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party consultative forum for elected leaders and aspirants for various positions on January 7, 2025, at Bomet IAAF stadium.
In a convergence of interests, Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok and former Governor Isaac Ruto have announced a political alliance ahead of the 2027 General Election.
The former political archrivals surprised their supporters and foes alike when they announced the move a few days ago, stating that majority of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) delegates elected in 636 polling stations in the recent grassroots polls, were their supporters.
The announcement has triggered debate and political undercurrents in the region.
Prof Barchok and Mr Ruto, accompanied by a number of Members of the County Assembly (MCAs), held a meeting with a section of the delegates in the outskirts of Bomet Town where the newly found political alliance was announced.
“I am very clear in my mind, and I want to set the record straight that I will be backing Mr Isaac Ruto for the gubernatorial position in the next general election. I am urging my supporters and his to work together at the grassroots,” Prof Barchok said.
Prof Barchok, who is serving his second and last term in office, has made a political gamble by backing Mr Ruto, in the hope of leveraging on numbers to also ascend to the Senate position.
“This is a case of the most formidable political leaders in the county coming together, bringing their supporters on one side. We are calling on other leaders and their supporters to join us,” Prof Barchok further said.
The announcement has far-reaching political ramifications in the region, as it isolates the two from some of the elected leaders, especially Senator Hillary Sigei seen to be leading a faction in the county that has kept Governor Barchok on his toes for the last three years.
Supporters of Governor Barchok and Senator Sigei have been deeply divided and have repeatedly engaged in shouting matches before President William Ruto, disrupting rallies in a pointer of political undercurrents.
Bomet Senator Hillary Sigei.
Prof Barchok blames Senator Sigei for his woes with Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC), leading to a recent arrest and arraignment in court, while the lawmaker has insisted he was only performing his oversight duties in revealing alleged graft in the county government.
“Members of Parliament and Members of the County Assembly should understand that they are our leaders, but must be on the side of the people and deliver for UDA and the President in their respective regions," Prof Barchok said.
In a heavily loaded political statement he added: "Sadly, there were people claiming to have fixed the system in the party and their lineup would carry the day. But the party members at the polling stations had their way and picked leaders of their choice, majority of whom happen to be supporters of Mr Ruto and myself.”
Senator Sigei has on the other hand maintained that he was doing his oversight work.
"I must do my work as Senator. I am doing my work of taking care of taxpayers’ money. When 2027 comes l will come back to the people with my scorecard," he said last week.
Gubernatorial contenders
Mr Ruto is expected to seek the UDA ticket in the gubernatorial race, with former Chief Administrative Secretary Engineer John Mosonik and Dr Michael Bongei, a senior Director at Kenyatta University Teaching and Referral Hospital (KURTH), having also declared interest in the position.
Konoin Member of Parliament Brighton Yegon, who had earlier started salivating at the position, dropped out of the race to focus on seeking a third successive term, after breaking a one-term jinx at the constituency in the last General election.
Dr Bongei, who will be making his first stab at elective leadership, has been making political forays in the region in the past one year, causing ripples among residents.
“I will be in the race for the UDA party ticket in the primaries next year as I seek to be the fourth Governor of Bomet county,” Dr Bongei told the Nation.
“Technically, I cannot seek an elective position in the ongoing grassroots election. But I am working on my plan and agenda for development in the county which I will present to the people,” he added.
Mr Ruto, who did not offer his candidature as a UDA delegate as he is a public officer (serving as Judicial Service Commission (JSC) vice chairperson), said the biometric system of voting deployed was the best as it was transparent, devoid of manipulation and verifiable.
“The delegates who have been elected will be the foot soldiers of President William Ruto and the UDA party at the grassroots ahead of the next General election. They will be expected to lead the charge for the President’s re-election and rally voters to back all party candidates in the polls,” Mr Ruto said.
Against expectations, the party members did not engage in any form of violence in the poll – yet Bomet is a political hotbed known for sharp divisions and fights in rallies by supporters of different leaders.
“The fact that party members came together, cast their votes and accepted the results without any contestation or fights is a clear indication of the maturity and strong democratic ideals the people have embraced,” Mr Ruto added.
Mr Ruto a former Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) Party Leader, has since folded the political vehicle, which he twice unsuccessfully (2017 and 2022) used to contest the Bomet Gubernatorial race.
The CCM party was swallowed by UDA in a post-election pact with Mr Ruto being appointed as a Commissioner at the JSC, where he currently serves as the vice chairperson.
In the 2017 General Election, the late former Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Dr Joyce Laboso, also a former Sotik Member of Parliament, beat Mr Ruto by garnering 176, 712 votes against his 86,282 votes, sending him to the political oblivion.
In the August 9, 2022 General Election, Prof Barchok handed a defeat to Mr Ruto, then running in CCM party ticket, by garnering 158,898 votes against his 137,323 votes, while Mr Bernard Mutai got 1,914 votes, followed by Mr Andrew Towett of Green Party (GP), who managed 508 votes.
February 22, 2022: Then Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) party leader Isaac Ruto (left), Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok (centre) and former Chief Administrative Secretary for Mining and Petroleum John Mosonik during a press conference outside the Bomet County Assembly chambers.
Prof Barchok took the reins of power on August 8, 2019, after Dr Laboso succumbed to cancer. He had served as Deputy Governor for hardly two years.
Governor Barchok has repeatedly announced in the past three months that he will be contesting against Senator Sigei in the UDA primaries in 2027, igniting political heat in the county.
Senator Sigei said at his Kapsio home in Chepalungu constituency that he will not be cowed into silence in his quest to hold Governor Barchok to account, saying there was no tangible development to boast of despite the county having received Sh42 billion under his administration.
“Across the county, pilferage of resources is clear, abandoned projects including the Bomet IAAF stadium, water, health facilities and roads that are in a dilapidated state in a clear indication Governor Barchok has lost the development script altogether,” Senator Sigei said.
The Senator said he was focused on his oversight role, which made the governor uncomfortable and sought to claw back, engaging in empty political rhetoric instead of development, adding that the campaign window had not opened up.
The Senate race has so far attracted former Kanu Secretary-General Nick Salat, while former senator, Dr Christopher Lang'at, currently serving as Kenya’s Ambassador in Cote D’Ivoire, has not clarified whether or not he will be seeking to recapture the seat he lost in the 2022 polls to Mr Sigei.
The political alliance also comes days after Prof Barchok and Mr Ruto sought a consensus on the election of UDA party delegates in the 20 stations in the region, but Senator Sigei and his allies were vehemently opposed to it.
A section of the Members of Parliament led by Richard Yegon (Bomet East), Richard Kilel (Bomet Central), Victor Koech (Chepalungu) and Members of the County Assembly led by Speaker Cosmas Korir and Majority Leader Paul Kirui backed the consensus method to avert a fallout after the poll.
But the majority of the MPs, apparently jolted by the poll outcome and turn of events, appeared to have taken a back seat as they watched the unfolding scenario.
The unfolding scenario reveals the behind-the-scenes alignment in the UDA party grassroots elections with each of the candidates for the top positions, having sought to take charge of each polling station.
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