Elgeyo Marakwet 2022: A County Study in Political Loyalty

Elgeyo Marakwet is one of Kenya's smallest counties — just 454,480 people by the 2019 census, nestled in the escarpment between the Kerio Valley and the Uasin Gishu plateau. It has four constituencies (Marakwet East, Marakwet West, Keiyo North, Keiyo South), one senator, one governor, and a political identity so firmly aligned with William Ruto's UDA that the 2022 general election was essentially a formality.

The 2022 Presidential Result

Ruto won Elgeyo Marakwet with 128,492 votes (93.7%) against Raila's 6,891 votes (5.0%). The remaining 1.3% was split among minor candidates. Turnout was 78.1% — well above the national average, reflecting the mobilized engagement typical of Kalenjin counties.

To put the margin in perspective: Ruto's votes outnumbered Raila's by 18.6 to 1. In Marakwet East, the ratio was even more extreme — 24 to 1.

Every Seat Went UDA

The UDA sweep was total:

• Governor: Wisley Rotich (UDA) — 84,291 votes (67.2%)
• Senator: William Kipkorir Cheptumo (UDA) — 93,412 votes (85.2%)
• Women Rep: Caroline Ng'elechei (UDA) — 88,754 votes (78.4%)
• All 4 MPs: UDA candidates won in every constituency

The governor race was the most competitive, with independent candidate and former Governor Alex Tolgos providing the strongest challenge. But even his 32.8% was not enough to dent UDA's county-wide dominance. View UDA's 2022 Elgeyo Marakwet Senate nomination results live to see how the party primary unfolded.

The Real Election: The UDA Primary

In a county this politically aligned, the general election is a rubber stamp. The real contest happened during the UDA party primaries in April 2022. It's in the primary where ambition, clan dynamics, and personal rivalries play out — because whoever wins the UDA ticket in Elgeyo Marakwet essentially wins the general election.

The governor primary was particularly heated. Multiple candidates — including former Governor Tolgos, who had defected from Jubilee — competed for the UDA ticket. The process involved direct voter participation in some areas and delegate voting in others, and was marked by the usual complaints: voter register manipulation, delegate bribery, and last-minute candidate withdrawals forced by party bosses.

Clan and Sub-Ethnic Dynamics

Elgeyo Marakwet's political landscape is shaped by the distinction between the Keiyo (who inhabit the escarpment and the highlands to the east) and the Marakwet (who inhabit the western slopes and the Kerio Valley). While both are Kalenjin sub-groups and overwhelmingly support UDA, the distribution of positions follows an informal rotation:

• The governorship has historically alternated between Keiyo and Marakwet candidates.
• The Senate seat and one MP slot are typically balanced between the two sub-groups.
• The Women Rep position has been competitive between both communities.

In 2022, this balance was carefully managed within UDA's nomination process, with party leaders ensuring that no one sub-group dominated all major positions.

The Murkomen Legacy

Elgeyo Marakwet's most prominent national politician, Kipchumba Murkomen, served as Senator from 2013 to 2022 before being appointed Cabinet Secretary for Roads and Transport. Murkomen was the Senate Majority Leader and one of Ruto's most visible defenders during the Uhuru fallout. His departure from the Senate created a succession contest that further tested UDA's internal management.

Murkomen's continued influence over Elgeyo Marakwet politics — even from his Cabinet position — illustrates how national political figures shape county-level dynamics in Kenya's smaller counties.

What Elgeyo Marakwet Teaches Us

Counties like Elgeyo Marakwet — small, ethnically homogeneous, and politically monolithic — are the building blocks of Kenya's electoral arithmetic. They don't produce surprises on election day, but they produce the margins that make surprises possible elsewhere. Ruto's ability to bank 128,000+ guaranteed votes from this single small county — and similar hauls from Bomet, Kericho, and Nandi — gave him the foundation to compete in swing counties.

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