Two of Rongai's best-known political families are preparing to try to win back the Nakuru County constituency in 2027, setting up a contest between old names and the UDA wave that swept the Rift Valley in the last election.

The Nation reported on Thursday that members of the Moi and Komen families are positioning themselves to challenge first-term MP Paul Chebor of UDA.

Who is in the race

On the Moi side, former MP Raymond Moi, son of the late President Daniel arap Moi, is seeking a return to the seat he held for two terms between 2013 and 2022, the Nation reported. He may face competition from within his own family: Faith Milkah Moi, widow of his late brother Jonathan Toroitich Moi, has also indicated that she wants the seat.

On the Komen side, two sons of former MP Willy Komen, Andrew Kibet Komen and Raymond Komen, are said to be eyeing the seat. Willy Komen was one of the earliest MPs for Rongai after the constituency was created.

The picture has shifted over the year. In June, the Nation's Mtaa Wangu reported that Kibet Komen was preparing for 2027 and had said his brother Raymond would not run this time. The same report said Faith Milkah Moi's campaign had gone quiet after early signs of interest online. Thursday's Nation report puts all four back in the conversation, though none has yet faced a party primary.

How Chebor broke the dynasties

Chebor, a former herder with no famous surname, won the seat in 2022 on a UDA ticket. He got 27,021 votes to Raymond Moi's 14,725, the Nation reported, ending the Moi family's hold on the constituency. Moi, who ran on a KANU ticket, was then the last member of the family in elected office after his brother Gideon lost the Baringo Senate race.

Chebor's path to the ballot had been just as close. In a rerun of the 2022 UDA primary, he beat Raymond Komen by 9,597 votes to 9,012, the Nation reported at the time.

The UDA ticket is the real prize

Analysts quoted by the Nation say the decisive fight may come long before the general election. In a region where UDA remains dominant, an analyst told the paper, winning the party ticket in the primaries and getting the President's attention is almost the same as winning the seat.

That gives Chebor, as the sitting UDA MP, an early advantage, but it also means that challengers from the Komen family, who have competed within UDA before, may focus on the primaries. A Moi-family candidate would have to decide whether to seek the UDA ticket, return with KANU, or run on another platform.

A wider test for the Moi name

The Rongai race comes at a sensitive time for the Moi family. Earlier this month, the family protested the occupation by GSU officers of its land next to Eldoret State Lodge, saying the officers had acted on the orders of an unnamed senior official.

KANU leader Gideon Moi has also been working with President Ruto under the broad-based arrangement, a relationship that could matter if a family member seeks to run with the ruling coalition's backing.

For voters in Rongai, the question is whether Chebor's win in 2022 marked the start of a new era of grassroots politics or was a short break from the families that dominated the constituency for decades.

Photos: The Standard (Raymond Moi in Rongai); Citizen Digital (Paul Chebor).