The victory of Paul "Mamba" Chebor may as well have signalled the start of a grand political farewell for outgoing Rongai MP Raymond Moi.
Mr Moi did not see his defeat looming and it hit like a political heart attack, as he had exuded confidence that he would get a historic third term on Monday.
As the reality slowly sinks in, it will take a while before he concedes defeat. It was evident that he would not accept defeat.
In an interview after he voted at Mercy Njeri Primary School, he was asked whether he would accept the outcome.
His response sounded like that of a drowning man making a desperate attempt to grasp slippery straws to save himself.
Putting on a brave political face before a battery of journalists, he said: "Let us wait for the final results."
"I will emerge the winner," he said, not knowing his goose was being cooked as residents streamed in to vote at 197 polling stations.
It is as if Mr Moi, the son of President Daniel arap Moi, knew the dynasty baggage was not working well for him in the final political homestretch.
Outgoing Rongai MP Raymond Moi (left) waiting to vote at Mercy Njeri Primary School on August 29, 2022 during Rongai parliamentary election.
Photo credit: Francis Mureithi | Nation Media Group
"I believe I will prevail today [Monday] not because of my name or anything else but because of my work and what I have done for the people of Rongai for the past 10 years."
But voters of Rongai had made up their minds and sacrificed Mr Moi at the ballot box by replacing him with Mr Chebor without blinking an eye.
Dr Ruto's army, led by Deputy President-elect Rigathi Gachagua and other leading UDA luminaries, descended on Rongai with their latest political strategy called "adopt a polling station".
UDA leaders clustered the 197 polling stations into a set of five and monitored how voters and residents were behaving outside the stations on voting day.
But this did not amuse Mr Moi, who accused the leaders of voter bribery and intimidating voters to cast ballots for his opponent.
He said about 54 UDA leaders from across the country ganged up against him to finish him off politically.
With Mr Chebor's victory, UDA leaders seem to have accomplished their mission to bury the Moi dynasty right at the heart of the late President's command post in Rongai constituency, where he was laid to rest two years ago.
But with the rejection of Mr Moi, the dynasty has been sent into political oblivion as Rongai falls under a real hustler.
Many political pundits in the region say this could be the end of the political road for Mr Moi and he may never come back as Rongai MP.
"The voters have passed the leadership baton to the son of a peasant farmer from the semi-arid Solai area and I doubt whether it will easily come back to the dynasty," said Ms Njeri Kamuriuki, a resident of Menengai West ward.
Outgoing Rongai MP Raymond Moi (right) arrives at Mercy Njeri Primary School to vote on August 29, 2022 during the Rongai parliamentary election where he lost to United Democratic Alliance candidate Paul “Mamba” Chebor.
Photo credit: Francis Mureithi | Nation Media Group
Not even Mr Moi’s popularity among non-Kalenjin communities, who overwhelmingly supported his two bids in 2013 and 2017, and his exemplary development record could save him from the jaws of Mr Chebor, nicknamed "crocodile".
Mr Chebor garnered 27,021 votes against Mr Moi’s 14,725. Luka Kigen of Chama Cha Mashinani received 593 votes.
This victory will remain the talk of the Rift Valley for a long time to come as Mr Chebor has slayed the last remaining powerful dynasty in the vote-rich Rift Valley.
It was therefore not surprising that the Rongai race was seen as a popularity contest between the Moi family and Dr Ruto.
With the UDA victory in Rongai constituency, Dr Ruto has hit two political birds with one stone and has proved he controls the Rift Valley.
The bad blood between Dr Ruto and Moi heirs is so deep-rooted that the former was never allowed to see the ailing Mzee Moi before he died in February 2020, even as other leaders were given a red-carpet welcome.
In April, UDA was not allowed to conduct party primaries at Kabarak University, though it is a gazetted Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) polling centre.
UDA had to hold voting outside the main gate, off the Nakuru-Kabarnet road.
Outgoing Baringo Senator Gideon Moi.
Photo credit: File | Nation Media Group
But Dr Ruto proved he was still a darling of the Kabarak voting fraternity by winning at that polling station in the August 9 controversial presidential race by garnering 286 votes.
Mr Raila Odinga of Azimio received 106 votes, while David Mwaure Waihiga had five and Roots Party candidate George Luchiri Wajackoyah had zero.
Dr Ruto waged a one-man battle to spread the UDA political gospel in Baringo and Nakuru, where the Mois have a big stake, and his strategy finally worked.
If Dr Ruto's victory is upheld by the Supreme Court, he will have the last big laugh, celebrating the fall of a dynasty that he had struggled to contain. He is likely to have a big party in Rongai.
