Former Elgeyo Marakwet Governor Alex Tolgos now eyes parliamentary seat

Former Elgeyo Marakwet County Governor Alex Tolgos. [File, Standard]

Former Elgeyo Marakwet County Governor Alex Tolgos, who served for ten years, has declared his interest in the Marakwet West parliamentary seat.

This sets the stage for a bruising political battle for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket with the incumbent Timothy Kipchumba, a lawyer who was elected as an independent candidate.

According to Tolgos, who served for two terms, his move has been informed after he was approached by a section of residents to go for the seat.

"They (the electorate) visited me and told me that all is not well at home. Just prepare for a political battle with me. I'm in the way. I'm just heeding the people's call," Tolgos said during a function in Marakwet West.

"When I clinch the seat, the first thing I'll do will be to employ Hon. Kipchumba to assist us with legal matters at the national level," added the former county boss.

Tolgos, who was one of the major proponents of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in Rift Valley when other leaders allied to President William Ruto were against it, defended his position.

"I just wanted more resources for our people. In fact, when I supported former President Uhuru Kenyatta, our region benefited a lot in terms of development, especially expansion of security roads," Tolgos said.

During his tenure, Tolgos was embroiled in a protracted battle of supremacy with Interior Cabinet Secretary Kipchumba Murkomen who was then Elgeyo Marakwet County Senator.

Murkomen was a harsh critic of Tolgos, accusing him of poor management during his 10-year tenure, a claim the governor dismissed on several occasions.

Tolgos accused Murkomen for using the assembly to frustrate his administration, which he said made many legislations presented to the assembly be rejected.

The former governor has expressed confidence that he will clinch the parliamentary seat arguing that he made key strides to improve several sectors in the county especially in agriculture and healthcare as well as promotion of tourism.

Kipchumba has dared the former governor to prepare for a bruising duel in next year's polls.

"My development track record speaks for itself. The people of Marakwet West know this and will have a final say on the ballot," Kipchumba said.

Murkomen, who vied on a UDA ticket in 2022, was declared the winner after he garnered 141,091 votes, beating former Tolgos, who was eyeing the seat on a Jubilee ticket, who got 20,684 votes.

President Ruto later appointed Murkomen to the cabinet, necessitating a by-election in the county, which was won by William Kisang of UDA. Kisang, a former Marakwet West MP was floored by youthful Kipchumba in the 2022 elections.

Mr Tolgos’ loss was widely seen as a big blow to Azimio-One Kenya Alliance, which had been making inroads into the region, with the former governor being the late ODM leader Raila Odinga's point man in the region.

Tolgos was one of the leading proponents of the Building Bridges Initiative (BBI) in Rift Valley alongside Kanu chairman Gideon Moi.

Tolgos was succeeded as governor by his deputy Wisley Rotich of UDA, who is seeking a second term.