It is night campaigns in Emurua Dikirr as women take leading role

Night campaigns intensify in Emurua Dikirr as DCP and UDA trade barbs ahead of the May 14 by-election, May 8, 2026. [Peter Kipkemoi, Standard]

By the time the clock struck 3.30 am in Chepkisa Village on Thursday, May 7, most parts of Kenya were fast asleep.

But in Emurua Dikirr Constituency, politics was only getting louder.

Under the cold night sky of Ilkerin ward, hundreds of residents, wrapped in heavy jackets, lesos and Maasai shukas, stood shoulder to shoulder listening attentively as politicians made their final appeals ahead of the hotly contested May 14 by-election.

Elderly women leaned on walking sticks while groups of energetic youth danced to campaign songs blaring from mounted speakers. Some had followed the rallies from village to village since dusk.

In Emurua Dikirr, elections are not daytime events. They live through the night.

For decades, the constituency has cultivated a rare political culture where campaigns intensify after sunset.

Locals call them preps: high-energy night rallies that stretch into the early morning hours and transform remote trading centres and villages into arenas of political persuasion.

Even rain and freezing temperatures rarely stop residents from attending.

Night campaigns intensify in Emurua Dikirr as DCP and UDA trade barbs ahead of the May 14 by-election, May 8, 2026. [Peter Kipkemoi, Standard]

“This is our tradition. You cannot understand Emurua Dikirr's politics during the day. Real politics here happens at night,” said Kipsang Arap Mibei, an elderly resident, at the Chepkisa rally.

Joseph Korrir, another elder, said the overnight campaign culture has become deeply woven into the constituency’s social and political identity.

“During the day, the majority of people are going about their daily business. But at night, they sacrifice their sleep to attend campaign rallies up to as late as 3 am and then go back to their houses to catch a nap. This is a tradition that was hatched and nurtured by our late MP Johana Ng’eno,” Korrir said.

Many residents believe night rallies attract larger crowds than daytime meetings, making them the ultimate measure of a candidate’s popularity on the ground.

Locals say candidates who command huge nighttime turnouts are often viewed as frontrunners in the race because most residents are available after finishing their daily activities.

Ironically, the overnight campaigns that define Emurua Dikirr politics remain prohibited under Kenya’s electoral laws.

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), working alongside security agencies, generally permits political campaigns only between 7 am and 6 pm.

Any rallies conducted outside those hours may technically be treated as unlawful and could expose organisers to arrest or prosecution.

Authorities have often defended the restrictions as necessary to prevent election-related violence, hate speech and clashes between rival political camps, risks commonly associated with emotionally charged night gatherings. 

But in Emurua Dikirr, the reality is remarkably different.

Here, night campaigns happen openly, often in the full presence of security officers. And despite the charged political atmosphere, they are largely known for remaining peaceful.

Throughout the night, police officers can often be seen monitoring rallies from a distance as supporters from rival camps crisscross villages chanting slogans, dancing to campaign songs and accompanying candidates from one rally to another until dawn.

“It is high-octane politics, but people remain disciplined. You can find supporters from different political sides standing together, listening to speeches until morning,” said one resident in Chepkisa Village.

That unique political culture is now shaping one of Kenya’s most closely watched by-elections, a fierce contest pitting allies of President William Ruto against supporters of former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua and his Democratic Change Party (DCP).

The by-election was triggered by the death of Johana Ng’eno, a vocal and influential politician whose absence continues to dominate political conversations across the constituency. 

Now, with only days left before voters head to the ballot, both DCP and UDA camps have unleashed aggressive overnight campaigns in a race rapidly turning into a symbolic political showdown. 

On Thursday night, DCP candidate Vincent Rotich led supporters through a series of rallies that ended at dawn in Chepkisa Village.

His convoy snaked through muddy village roads as supporters on motorcycles and vehicles hooted and waved party colours in the darkness.

At every stop, crowds emerged from homes and shopping centres, waiting patiently for hours to hear the candidate speak.

Rotich was accompanied by Leonard Cheruiyot and Shadrack Tonui, both opinion leaders in the constituency, who urged residents to rally behind DCP in what they described as a fight for political change. 

“Our mission is clear. We want to form the next leadership of Emurua Dikirr,” Rotich told supporters shortly before dawn. 

But beyond the speeches and political slogans, this time round, it is the women who appeared to command the emotional heartbeat of the rallies. 

One after another, women rose to address the gatherings, some openly expressing frustration with the Kenya Kwanza administration.

At around 3:30 am, an elderly woman popularly known as Bot Alice slowly stepped forward and called for peace despite the charged political atmosphere. 

“Let us campaign without hatred,” she pleaded. “After elections, we will remain neighbours and relatives,” Alice said.

Her words briefly quieted the charged crowd.

Just a few kilometres away in Chemurin Village, the rival UDA camp was also staging its own overnight political offensive.

 UDA candidate David Kipsang Keter held a parallel rally alongside Narok County deputy governor Tamalinye Kiprono Koech, with the meeting ending shortly after 3 am.

Unlike the emotionally charged DCP rallies, the UDA campaign leaned heavily on party loyalty and its connection to President Ruto’s government.

Koech launched sharp attacks against DCP, dismissing the party as politically irrelevant in the region.

“What has DCP done for the people of Emurua Dikirr?” Koech asked supporters. “This constituency stands with President William Ruto and Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu. 

Koech further argued that the constituency should remain loyal to UDA because the late Johana Ng’eno belonged to the ruling party.