Narok North Turns into a Political Battlefield as 2027 Race Takes Shape

Narok North Constituency is fast emerging as one of the most closely watched political battlegrounds in the Rift Valley, with a growing field of aspirants positioning themselves for what promises to be a fiercely contested parliamentary race ahead of the 2027 General Election.

The contest is becoming more than a fight for one parliamentary seat. It is shaping up as a test of party influence, local alliances, generational change and the ability of rival political camps to mobilise voters in a constituency where political loyalties have historically shifted.

At the centre of the contest is incumbent MP Agnes Mantaine Pareyio, who made history in 2022 by becoming the first woman elected to represent Narok North in Parliament.

Pareyio won on a Jubilee ticket, defeating independent candidate Martin Ole Kamwaro, popularly known as Orpuya, who emerged as her closest challenger.

Four years later, however, the political landscape has changed considerably.

Among the names being discussed for 2027 are Martine Ole Kamwaro, lawyer Parseen Ole Masikonde, Kerimpoti Ole Sadera, Allan Ole Meing’ati, James Ole Kiok, Philip Ole Kiok, Symon Kaitikei Ole Rotiken, Meitamei Olol Dapash and Leah Naikanae Ntimama.

The field remains fluid, with some aspirants yet to settle on the parties under which they will contest.

One of the most consequential entries is Kamwaro, popularly known as Orpuya, who is seeking to reclaim the Narok North parliamentary seat on a Democracy for the Citizens Party (DCP) platform.

Kamwaro is no stranger to the constituency. A lawyer, community leader and former parliamentary candidate, he mounted a strong independent challenge in 2022 and finished second to Pareyio.

His return this time comes with considerably greater political machinery. He is the DCP Deputy Secretary General, placing him among the senior officials helping former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua build the new party nationally. Gachagua has publicly congratulated Kamwaro on holding the deputy secretary-general position.

His position gives him a direct connection to DCP's national political project while his previous electoral performance gives him an established base in Narok North.

Kamwaro has also built his political profile around governance, community interests and land justice. His views on the Mau question could resonate with voters for whom land remains one of the most emotive political issues.

His return therefore creates the prospect of a rematch with Pareyio, but this time with Kamwaro operating under a national party structure and alongside Gachagua's expanding political network.

Another aspirant attracting attention is Dr Meitamei Olol Dapash, a veteran Maasai land-rights activist and community leader who recently launched his bid for the Narok North seat.

Dapash has not declared the political party under which he intends to contest, leaving open the possibility of an independent bid or negotiations with one of the established parties.

His campaign is being built around one of the most emotive issues in Narok politics: land rights and historical land injustices affecting the Maasai community.

Dapash has for years campaigned for the recovery of about 30,000 acres in Mau Narok that he regards as ancestral Maasai land. His activism on the issue dates back many years.

In June 2026, he renewed his demand for the return of the land, arguing that large tracts held by absentee landlords should benefit local communities and especially young people struggling to access land.

Dapash has described the land question as a matter of justice, dignity and the future of the Maa community.

“Our struggle is not against individuals. It is a struggle for justice, dignity, and a future where Maa youth can own land, build livelihoods, and participate fully in the development of this region,” he said in remarks on the Mau Narok land question.

His land-rights message could become a major feature of the 2027 campaign, particularly if he succeeds in turning the Mau Narok question into a broader constituency issue.

The entry of Naikanae, a nominated member of the Narok County Assembly and UDA chairperson in Narok North, has given the race an additional gender dimension.

Naikanae is the second woman to position herself for the parliamentary seat, after incumbent Pareyio.

Her political career spans nearly two decades, beginning with her 2007 attempt to contest the Karen Ward seat on a Wiper ticket. She later became involved in William Ruto's political movement, served in the United Republican Party and was a member of the Jubilee Party Elections Board.

She was nominated to the Nairobi County Assembly in 2018 and later served on the 2022 presidential campaign team. She now serves as a nominated MCA in the Narok County Assembly and chairs UDA in Narok North.

Naikanae is campaigning on inclusive development, women's leadership, youth empowerment and greater participation of marginalised communities in decision-making.

Her entry creates the possibility of an unusual parliamentary contest in which two women are competing to lead a constituency that had never elected a woman before Pareyio's historic victory in 2022.

DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua has meanwhile sought to portray Narok as evidence that the old political order can be overturned.

His confidence has been boosted by DCP's victory in the 2025 Narok Town Ward by-election, where party candidate Douglas Masikonde defeated UDA's Robert Kanyinke Ole Kudate.

Gachagua celebrated the result as evidence of the new party's ability to defeat older political formations, saying DCP had “whitewashed old parties some old as twenty years.”

He further urged aspiring DCP candidates to stay on the ground and listen to voters, saying: “I urge all those who wish to vie for seats under our party to remain on the ground and continuously engage the electorate as they listen to them.”

He has also been cultivating support among communities from the wider Mount Kenya region living in Narok, adding another demographic dimension to the county's political arithmetic.

DCP's breakthrough has not, however, translated into county-wide dominance. Narok remains politically competitive, with UDA, Jubilee, ODM, DCP and independent networks all seeking influence.

For President William Ruto's UDA, the challenge may not only come from opposition parties.

A potentially more complicated problem is emerging within the ruling party itself as two senior UDA figures — Governor Patrick Ole Ntutu and Narok West MP Gabriel Tongoyo — are associated with competing gubernatorial ambitions.

The rivalry threatens to expose the limits of UDA's ability to consolidate the county behind one political camp.

Narok politics is heavily influenced by clan, locality and community networks, and competition between prominent leaders can quickly become a contest over which communities, political blocs and local power structures are represented in the next administration.

The risk for UDA is that an internal contest could divide the ruling party's grassroots machinery at precisely the moment when DCP, Jubilee and other opposition formations are seeking an opening.

Justus Sigei, a political observer in the county, has previously identified clan dynamics as an important factor in Narok elections, with different communities and constituencies playing distinct roles in determining county-wide outcomes.

“If the Ntutu-Tongoyo rivalry deepens, it could therefore weaken the appearance of a unified UDA front and give rival parties room to negotiate alliances with disgruntled factions,” he added.

The potential for an internal UDA split is particularly significant because Tongoyo himself has recently called for political leaders to put development ahead of excessive politicking. In July, he said: “Too much politics undermines development,” urging leaders to focus on service delivery rather than premature campaigns.

For Ruto's camp, the challenge will be to manage those competing loyalties without allowing the gubernatorial contest to spill over into parliamentary races such as Narok North.

Jubilee is also moving early to defend its influence.

On August 14, Jubilee Secretary General and former Narok North MP Moitalel Ole Kenta hosted former Interior Cabinet Secretary Fred Matiang’i in Narok North for the launch of Parseen Ole Masikonde's parliamentary bid.

The appearance placed Jubilee directly in the constituency race while giving Kenta an opportunity to rebuild his networks ahead of his expected gubernatorial challenge against Ntutu.

Kenta has been emphasising youth participation in Jubilee's political renewal, while Matiang’i is seeking to strengthen the party's national opposition profile ahead of 2027.

Kenta has also made it clear that Jubilee is not prepared to surrender constituencies through predetermined political zoning.

The two leaders' presence in Narok North demonstrates that the constituency is increasingly being viewed as a strategic piece in the wider county and national political chessboard.

Matiang’i has meanwhile presented Jubilee as part of a broader opposition effort to challenge the Kenya Kwanza administration.

 “We have joined others in the opposition. We are a united opposition, working with DCP leader Rigathi Gachagua, Wiper Party led by Kalonzo Musyoka, PLP led by Martha Karua, the Democratic Party led by former Speaker Justin Muturi, DAP-K led by Eugene Wamalwa, and PNU led by Peter Munya,” he said earlier this year.

On the Narok land question, Matiang’i has also argued that the county's persistent disputes are rooted in governance failures and competing commercial interests.

“The challenges that the people of Narok know nothing about the construction of hotels and interference with the migration corridor, the destruction of the environment and so on, water catchment areas and then of course land grabbing.”

Beneath the party competition lies the enduring political legacy of the late William Ole Ntimama, one of the most influential figures in Narok and Maa politics.

His influence continues to shape local political calculations even as younger leaders seek to establish independent identities.

The 2027 race could therefore become a contest between political inheritance and generational change.

Beyond party politics, voters are likely to judge candidates on roads, education, healthcare, water, insecurity, employment and land.

For Dapash, land justice could become the defining campaign issue.

For Naikanae, women's leadership, youth empowerment and inclusive development are likely to feature prominently.

For Kamwaro, his combination of legal experience, previous electoral performance and senior DCP position gives him a platform to campaign on governance, community interests and land justice.

For Pareyio, experience, continuity and her record in Parliament will be central to the defence of her seat.

With more than a year before the 2027 election, Narok North remains wide open. Party nominations, defections and alliances could dramatically reshape the contest. The opposition vote could fragment among Jubilee, DCP, independents and other candidates, potentially benefiting the incumbent or a candidate backed by a strong party machine.

DCP itself faces an interesting internal calculation, with Kamwaro and Sadera both associated with the party's Narok North ambitions. How the party manages its nomination will be an early test of its organisational strength.

At the same time, UDA must contend with the wider gubernatorial competition between Ntutu and Tongoyo, a rivalry that could test whether the ruling party can maintain a united political structure on the ground.

For Pareyio, defending her historic seat will require more than relying on the political network that delivered victory in 2022.

For UDA, Narok North represents an opportunity to demonstrate that the ruling party can hold together its county machinery despite internal competition.

For DCP, the constituency is a chance to convert Gachagua's growing profile and DCP's Narok Town breakthrough into a parliamentary victory.

For Jubilee, it is an opportunity to rebuild.

For Dapash, the race offers a platform to place Maasai land rights and historical injustices at the centre of the political debate.

And for Naikanae, it is an opportunity to put women's leadership and inclusive development at the heart of constituency politics.

The battle for Narok North is therefore becoming a contest within a contest — over political power, land, development, clan alliances, party loyalty and who controls Narok's political narrative when Kenyans return to the ballot in 2027.