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President William Ruto consoles Mrs Nayianoi Ntutu Ng'eno, widow of the late Emurua Dikirr MP Johanna Ng'eno, at their Karen home in Nairobi.
Political undercurrents are rising in Emurua Dikirr Constituency slightly over a week after the area Member of Parliament Johana Ng'eno was buried following a fatal helicopter crash.
Three factions have emerged in the succession battle for the constituency regarded as one of the most politically volatile in the South Rift region.
Ng'eno, George Were (pilot), Nick Kosgei (photojournalist), Amos Kipngetich Rotich (Kenya Forest Service ranger), Carlos Robert Keter (teacher) and Wycliff Rono (protocol officer at Narok County government) all died in the helicopter crash at Chepkiyep village, Mosop Constituency, Nandi County, on February 28.
The body of Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ng'eno is loaded onto a plane at Eldoret International Airport in Uasin Gishu County, and taken to Nairobi on March 01, 2026, after the legislator and five other people died in a chopper crash at Chepkiep Village in Mosop Sub-County of Nandi County on Saturday. Four bodies were also flown to Nairobi while that of the pilot was taken to western region.
Ng'eno’s widow Nayianoi Ngeno has been thrust into the centre of the political succession, with the immediate family and clan members selecting her as their preferred flag bearer for the yet-to-be-announced by-election.
However, a section of the Kapkaon clan, to which the late MP belonged, has endorsed Mr Bernard Rono, a cousin and administrator at Narok County government, as the preferred candidate.
Over the weekend, the contest became more complex with the entry of Mr David Keter, a businessman who twice unsuccessfully challenged Ng'eno in previous General elections, finishing second on both occasions.
Ms Nayianoi Ngeno’s surprise announcement came six days after Mama Mary Temas, the mother of the late MP, appealed to mourners, including President William Ruto and his deputy Kithure Kindiki to let the family select a successor. At the funeral, she stated that the family would retain the leadership baton in the interim.
The youthful Nayianoi, a lawyer, is a newcomer to politics and has maintained a low profile since marrying Ngeno in 2018, when she was 22 and he was 46. Ngeno, who was then the oldest bachelor in Parliament serving his second term, had faced pressure from constituents and fellow leaders to marry.
ODM leader Raila Odinga (right) poses for a photograph with newly-wedded Emurua Dikirr MP Johana Ngeno and his Wife Nayianoi Ntutu on August 18, 2018 at the Emurua Dikirr Secondary School. PHOTO | GEORGE SAYAGIE | NATION MEDIA GROUP
On Thursday, the family and clan held a lengthy consultative meeting, ultimately resolving to back Ms Nayianoi as the candidate for the forthcoming by-election.
“I am grateful for the responsibility bestowed upon me by the family, clan and constituents to carry the baton of my late husband. I call on the residents and voters of Emurua Dikirr to rally behind my candidature when the election date is announced. Let us engage in peaceful and mature politics, as my late husband would have wanted,” Ms Nayianoi said.
This will be her first political statement having previously focused on family affairs while leaving constituency matters to her late husband. She will first have to go through the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party nominations once the seat is officially declared vacant.
The family’s decision aims to prevent internal disputes and maintain unity among supporters, with some of Ng'eno’s close allies also expressing interest in the seat.
“We call on the public and residents of Emurua Dikirr to support Ms Nayianoi Ngeno as the candidate in the upcoming by-election to complete the remainder of the term,” family spokesman Johana Langat said
Other aspirants
Mr David Ngetich, a Kapkaon clan member, added: “We appeal to residents to allow Ms Nayianoi to complete the remaining one and a half years before the next General Election, when a broader decision can be made on the constituency’s future leadership.”
The succession contest intensified when a section of the clan endorsed Bernard Rono, while businessman David Keter also declared interest, both leaning toward the UDA party. Mr Rono has kept a low profile amid the unfolding scenario.
Emurua Dikirr constituency, located in Transmara East, Narok County, is predominantly inhabited by the Kipsigis community and comprises four wards: Ilkerin, Mogondo, Kapsasian, and Ololmasani.
According to IEBC records from the 2022 polls, the constituency had 44,447 registered voters. Agriculture, particularly maize farming and livestock rearing, forms the backbone of the local economy.
Speaker of the National Assembly Moses Wetang’ula is expected to issue the writ for the by-election 90 days after the seat is declared vacant, giving the IEBC a window to set the election date. The commission has stated that conducting the Emurua Dikirr by-election will cost Sh59 million.
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