From the outset, Mr Rigathi Gachagua , leader of the DCP party, knew that the by-election in Emurua Dikirr was not going to be easy for his candidate, Felix Kibet Rotich.
But he was keen to make a statement nonetheless.
After all, this is President William Ruto’s backyard, and any sign of a good fight would be enough. Ultimately, he secured over 10,000 votes. It was no mean feat for an opposition candidate.
Mr Gachagua’s first mission, according to his handlers, was to identify a strong candidate, and Mr Rotich became one such natural pick.
For Mr Rotich – a former chief and a former Member of the County Assembly for Mogondo Ward at the Narok County Assembly — the heavy network and grassroots presence became an added advantage.
DCP candidate Vincent Rotich (left) and UDA candidate David Kipsang Keter at Emurua Dikirr by-election constituency tallying centre on May 14, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
Then there were the phone calls. The Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) leader kept in touch with key opinion leaders via phone calls in town hall set-ups.
In all the calls, he made it his point to demonstrate to the locals that, despite their son being the principal tenant at State House, they were not spared by the ballooning cost of living.
He addressed the locals by mobile phone, with the calls amplified through public address equipment.
In one of the call-ins during the rallies, Mr Gachagua said his party was keen on sorting out the land issues in the area, especially at Angata Barigoi in the neighbouring Kilgoris Constituency, which has led to the killing of several people in the past, and on the demarcation of land in Emurua Dikirr to facilitate the issuance of title deeds.
He said he was aware of the poor state of infrastructural facilities in the region that UDA, under the broad-based government, had promised to sort out, but failed to, as it channelled resources to regions whose voters did not rally behind Dr Ruto in the 2022 poll.
“That Mr Gachagua, even without physically appearing in the constituency, was able to lead his DCP candidate (Rotich) to garner more than 10,000 votes is a clear pointer to the restlessness of the voters in the region ahead of the 2027 general election,” Mr Kipkemoi Barsumei, a former Bomet Mayor, said.
Mr Barsumei said: “UDA top guns cannot afford to bury their heads in the sand, thinking that the voters will automatically vote for President Ruto in the 2027 General Election. We must not forget that the President lives in the neighbouring Kilgoris Constituency, yet Mr Gachagua’s candidate posted impressive results.”
David Kipsang Keter of UDA (right) is handed the election certificate by IEBC Returning Officer Caleb Kegonde (left) and Deputy Returning Officer Slyvia Jepchumba after being declared the winner of the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election on May 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
“It is also instructive to note that three weeks ago, Dr Ruto alluded to the fact that residents of Rift Valley had not been keen on registering with the IEBC as voters in the enhanced continuous voter registration exercise, telling a story of a people not keen on defending the presidency,” Mr Barsumei said.
Mr Keter garnered 18,266 votes in the poll, while Mr Rotich came second with 10,760 votes in a constituency with 44,457 registered voters.
Mr David Kipsang Keter of UDA party speaks to journalists after being declared the winner in the Emurua Dikirr by-election on May 15, 2026.
Photo credit: Vitalis Kimutai | Nation Media Group
The by-election was necessitated by the death of former MP Johana Ngeno in a helicopter crash in Mosop Constituency, Nandi County, on February 28.
Emurua Dikirr is largely inhabited by members of the Kipsigis community that settled in the area situated in the Trans Mara East region of Narok County in the 1950s, with members of the Maasai community being the original settlers.
Mr Keter, a businessman, is a former ally turned foe of the late Ngeno, having propped up and financed him in the 2007 general election before choosing to go for the constituency seat in 2013 after it was carved out of the neighbouring Kilgoris Constituency.
Mr Keter got 13,707 votes in the 2017 general election and 14,596 in the 2022 poll, while the late Ngeno got 16,098 and 19,958 votes respectively to emerge the winner.
Mr Keter sought to assure the residents that he will serve all without favour, irrespective of their political affiliations, and that he will complete the projects started by his predecessor in an area that is seen as a marginalised zone of Narok County.
In the UDA nominations, Mr Keter garnered 13,749 votes against Mr Bernard Ngeno’s 13,394 votes on March 27, in a tough party primary in a constituency that has four civic wards – Kapsasian, Mogondo, Ilkerin and Ololmasani.
Mr Ngeno, a former Personal Assistant to the late MP Johana Ngeno, who was seen as a favourite for the UDA ticket, did not concede defeat, further causing ripples among supporters and scattering them to other parties.
The piling pressure on UDA became so much that, at some point, Ms Nayianoi Ngeno, the widow of the former MP, was unleashed to endorse the candidate of the ruling party.
Ms Ngeno initially announced she would run for the same seat, but dropped out a few days later under unclear circumstances.
Her appointment to the board of a government parastatal and subsequent backing of Mr Keter helped to turn the tide against the DCP candidate, Mr Rotich, in the by-election.
Mr Tamalinye Koech, the Narok Deputy Governor, was the only senior government official who led the campaigns in the region, even as his boss – Governor Patrick Ntutu – and local MPs kept off in a delicate balancing act. He admits it was a tough run.
“I am happy that we have delivered the seat after a bruising campaign in the last two months,” Mr Koech said.
Mr Hassan Omar, the UDA Secretary-General, congratulated the residents of Emurua Dikirr Constituency in Narok, and Endo and Porro civic wards in Elgeyo Marakwet and Samburu counties, respectively, for electing the party’s candidates.
“Voting patterns for Emurua Dikirr have been the same since the creation of the constituency in 2013, with the runner-up in the election always making a strong showing. Thank you, Emurua Dikirr, for refusing incitement and for choosing to transact your differences of political opinion peacefully,” Prof Kindiki said on his social media handles.
President Ruto, Kindiki, Cabinet Secretaries, Narok Governor Stephen Ntutu, Members of Parliament from Narok and neighbouring counties, and the UDA leadership, for the first time in recent by-elections, skipped the campaign trail.
Reports from the ground indicated that had the leaders taken part in the campaign, they would have caused the candidate to lose significant ground due to the revolt against the government. Mr Gachagua had hoped to ride on this.
Mr Gachagua’s reason for skipping the region, we established, was to avoid a situation where he became the “candidate”, in which case it would have been easy for UDA to make the race about the push to oust Dr Ruto from State House, something Mr Gachagua’s handlers felt would have injured the DCP candidate.
The residents have repeatedly voted against the government and are a lot that does not shy away from speaking their minds and are known to be militant on issues they believe in.
Mr Rotich, on the other hand, took advantage of his grassroots mobilisation abilities following his past record as a politician and administrator.
“The people are tired of the UDA government’s failed promises on development – the roads are impassable – even the tarmac joining Bomet and Emurua Dikirr is in a dilapidated state, hospitals are far apart and ill-equipped or not staffed, schools are few and not equipped for learners,” Mr Rotich said.
He said: “I have not won because of many factors, but my ambition to become the MP for Emurua Dikirr and turn around the development tide has not been extinguished. Instead, I am emboldened by the more than 10,000 votes I got in the by-election.”
Mr Rotich said: “I was fighting against a government machinery that was fully deployed to campaign, but the voters have made a major statement ahead of the 2027 general election, bearing in mind the turnout is usually low in mini-polls.”
President Ruto has repeatedly been accused of abandoning the residents of Rift Valley, who voted for him almost to a man in the last general election, having twice voted for former President Uhuru Kenyatta in the 2013 and 2017 general elections, as he was his running mate.
