Former West Pokot Senator Samuel Poghisio has left KANU and rejoined the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM). He plans to run for West Pokot governor in the 2027 General Election.

Poghisio was received at Chungwa House, ODM's headquarters in Nairobi, on Tuesday, November 3, 2026. A group of West Pokot leaders came with him. He wants to succeed Governor Simon Kachapin.

ODM welcomed him in a message that described him as its 2027 governor candidate for the county. People Daily reported that the party's formal nomination process will still decide who carries the ticket.

A veteran returns

This is a homecoming of sorts. Poghisio was in ODM and later in the United Republican Party (URP) before he moved to KANU, the party led by Gideon Moi. He was West Pokot senator from 2017 to 2022 and served as Senate Majority Leader.

He has held government posts under two presidents, as an assistant minister under Daniel arap Moi and as a Cabinet minister under Mwai Kibaki.

According to Capital FM, his entry is expected to strengthen ODM's presence in the Rift Valley, where the party is trying to sign up established politicians.

A crowded race

Poghisio will not have an easy run. Several heavyweights are already chasing the county's top seat:

  • John Lonyangapuo, governor from 2017 to 2022, who lost to Kachapin and is campaigning on a promise to finish projects he started
  • Pokot South MP David Pkosing, who has also declared interest
  • More aspirants are expected to join

Capital FM described the contest as shaping up into a three-way battle between Lonyangapuo, Poghisio and Pkosing. The ODM nomination itself could also be contested if other aspirants seek the party's ticket.

Part of a wider realignment

Poghisio joined a day after Nairobi Governor Johnson Sakaja left President William Ruto's UDA for ODM to defend his seat. On Monday Sakaja told supporters: "Baba, Raila Odinga is the one who told me to join ODM."

The two high-profile arrivals in one week show that ODM, now led by Oburu Oginga, still draws politicians even as it negotiates a possible 2027 deal with UDA. Elsewhere it is losing members to Edwin Sifuna's Linda Mwananchi movement and smaller parties.

Parties across the country are now strengthening their grassroots networks and negotiating alliances ahead of the August 2027 polls.

Photos: Business Today Kenya; People Daily. Thumbnail design: HAMASTA MEDIA.