Baringo County is heading into its most competitive gubernatorial race yet.
With nine aspirants already declaring their interest in the county’s top seat, the 2027 contest for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket is shaping up as a defining moment for a region that has long punched below its weight in the national development conversation.
Topping the list of aspirants is Simon Kiprono Chelugui, a former Cabinet Secretary who served during Uhuru’s regime and President William Ruto’s government in the dockets of Labour, Water, and Cooperatives.
His removal from Cabinet in 2024, replaced by Wycliffe Oparanya as part of the broad-based government realignment, was initially read by political observers as a signal of diminished influence. But in Baringo, the script has played out differently.
Far from fading into obscurity, Chelugui’s ejection from Cabinet appears to have lit a fire under his political base.
Locals who witnessed his tenure across multiple ministries have been vocal in their support, insisting that the national government erred in letting him go. For them, his record speaks louder than any political narrative crafted in Nairobi.
Other seasoned candidates in the race include Moses Lessonet, David Yatich, Stanley Baskwony, Stanley Kiptis, Eng Cheruiyot, Dennis Korir, Nelly Yatich and Kipkebut.
Each brings their own base and ambitions. But Chelugui enters the contest with a distinct advantage — a tangible body of work that residents can point to across every sub-county.
Unlike candidates whose appeal is purely grassroots, Chelugui occupies a rare political space. He is a technocrat with governance experience at the highest levels, yet his footprint in Baringo is deeply personal and visible.
Having served under both President Uhuru Kenyatta and President Ruto, he carries with him strong national connections, access to government networks, and a reform-oriented reputation that resonates with voters who have grown weary of empty promises.
During his tenure at the Cooperatives ministry, he was associated with crackdowns on mismanagement and institutional reforms that earned him a reputation as a no-sacking, a statement that struck many as nonsense administrator.
His demeanour — measured, non-confrontational, and notably ungrudging even after his Cabinet exit — has reinforced that image.
Many would pop in his office without appointments and through connections about 600 youths from Baringo secured employments with some landing key positions including Directors and CEOs.
On the infrastructure front, Chelugui has been credited with lobbying for and advancing several critical road projects that have long been bottlenecks to economic activity in the county.
Among them is the Sirwa–Kimungoron Road, a 10-kilometre improvement project in Mogotio that has enhanced connectivity for communities previously cut off from markets and services.
More ambitiously, the Kasoyo–Riwo–Seretunin–Talai–Kasisit–Kipcherere–Kampi Samaki Road stretches 81 kilometres, opening up vast stretches of the county to trade and movement. Another remarkable project spearheaded by Chelugui is 10km road network within mogotio Township.
The Marigat–Muchongoi–Karandi–Ol Ngarua–Muhotetu–Junction C77 Road, which includes the Muhotetu–Sipili section, is another ongoing major project transforming connectivity in the region.
Perhaps the most significant is the Kamukunji–Kisanana–Kapkitur–Mugurin–Lake Bogoria–Mogotio Road, an approximately 78-kilometre corridor budgeted at KSh 3.7 billion for upgrading to bitumen standard.
For a county where poor roads have historically meant poor livelihoods, these are not just projects — they are political capital of the most credible kind.
If roads tell part of Chelugui’s story, water tells the rest — and it is a remarkable one. Across his tenures in government, Chelugui oversaw an expansive portfolio of water projects in Baringo that touched virtually every sub-county, from the arid plains of Tiaty to the highlands of Baringo North.
In the Jubilee era community boreholes were drilled and equipped in dozens of villages including Tiaty, Baringo Central, Baringo South and East Ravine, with a dedicated programme that saw 24 boreholes commissioned in Tiaty alone.
Under UDA, the work continued with renewed ambition. The flagship Chemususu Water Distribution Project delivered a fully functional water treatment plant, chemical house, pipeline network and 28 masonry tanks, alongside new offices for the Chemususu Water Company in Kamelilo.
Last mile connectivity designs for Mogotio, Emining, and Rongai are currently under implementation, bringing the project closer to the doorsteps of communities that had remained on the periphery.
Major feasibility studies and detailed designs were completed for the Amaya Dam in Tiaty, Bergei Dam in Baringo North, and Upper Solai Dam to serve Kisanana, Solai, Chamasis and Bonita.
Town water and sewerage systems for Mogotio, Marigat, Kabartonjo and Chemolingot were similarly designed. The Perkerra Irrigation Scheme, a lifeline for farmers in the semi-arid south, was expanded from 1,500 to 3,500 irrigable hectares — more than doubling its capacity and the livelihoods it sustains.
The long-stalled Kirandich Phase 3 project, which had been mired in contractual disputes, was unlocked under his watch and works are currently ongoing.
Across Upper Chemususu, communities that had been left out of the dam’s benefits received dedicated water projects including the Murkisis, Assururiet, Tinet, Tarkawas, Sawich, Tugumoi-Chepnyogoson, Soibei and Soibei-Uzima water projects — a deliberate effort to ensure no community was left behind.
For many residents, the boreholes that brought water to their schools, the roads that now connect their markets, and the irrigation canals that expanded their farms are not abstract policy achievements.
