A closely watched United Democratic Alliance nomination exercise for the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary seat concluded on Friday night with David Kipsang Keter edging out his main rival in a vote conducted across nearly a hundred polling stations.
Keter managed 13,759 votes, while Bernard Kipkoech Ng’eno, who served as an aide to the late Johana Ng’eno, followed with 13,394 votes in a contest that drew strong attention across the constituency. The race involved several aspirants and unfolded in a setting considered politically competitive ahead of the upcoming by-election.
The final announcement was made at Emurua Dikirr Secondary School hall at 8:45 pm on March 27, 2026, after vote counting was completed under the supervision of UDA National Election Board Vice chairperson Veronica Chebet, who confirmed the outcome at the tallying centre.
“The voting process has been smooth, free of any ugly incidences. The tallying is complete and the winner has emerged as Keter as per the wishes of the voters,” Chebet said.
Other contestants who sought the party ticket included Kibet Rotich Farouk, Joseph Kiprono Koech and John Saitoti, as the exercise took place across 96 polling stations mostly based in learning institutions.
The nomination came ahead of the by-election set by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission for May 14, 2026, in a constituency with 44,447 registered voters. The seat fell vacant following the death of Johana Ng’eno in a helicopter crash at Chepkiyep village in Mosop Constituency, Nandi County, on February 28, 2026.
The late Ng’eno had been the area’s sole representative since the constituency was created in the lead-up to the 2013 General Election, following earlier political contests in the larger Kilgoris area.
The nomination exercise, however, attracted claims from some participants alleging incidents of bribery, repeat voting and proxy voting in several polling stations. These concerns emerged during the process but did not halt the counting, which proceeded to completion.
Turnout was reported to be high, with residents arriving early at polling centres and forming long queues as they sought to avoid afternoon rains that had been experienced in recent days across the region.
UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar, who visited Soget Primary School polling station, pointed to the strong participation as a sign of public interest in the party and the contest.
“The voter turnout is very impressive and speaks volumes of the grassroots support UDA enjoys in the region and across the country ahead of the next general election” UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said at Soget Primary School polling station.
He added that the party maintained a neutral position during the nomination process.
“The party does not have a preferred candidate in the nomination process and we have left the people of Emurua Dikirr constituency to make their independent choice on who their nominee will be.”
Keter’s win now places him in a strong position as he prepares to represent the party in the upcoming by-election, which is expected to attract close competition in the constituency.