Vincent Kiprono Chemitei, also known as Vincent Kiprono Cheburet Chemitei, is the UDA’s flagbearer for the senatorial by-elections scheduled for Thursday, November 27, 2025.
Chemitei is from the local Kalenjin tribe, the Endoroi community, in Kisanana Ward, a marginalized ethnic group in Baringo County in Kenya’s Rift Valley region, and is also the very first person from the area to contest in politics.
He specifically represents Mochongoi Ward within Baringo South, where he grew up and began his early career as a pool hall hustler before entering politics.
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Vincent Chemutei’s entry into politics, his nomination as the UDA candidate, and his proposed win for the coming by-elections serve as a relief to the Endoroi community and other minority communities like the Pokot, Ilchamus, Turkana, Kikuyu, and Nubians in Baringo which has, for a long time, faced exclusion from political power and land disputes, with the area having been dominated by Tugens since government devolution in 2013.
At 31 years of age, Vincent Chemitei defeated his opponents by garnering a total of 48,791 votes in the primaries, followed by Tobole Kipsang Kibor Wycliffe’s 30,897 votes, becoming the UDA flag bearer in the forthcoming Baringo Senatorial byelections.
He was cleared to run for the seat by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) following the death of the former senator, William Cheptumo.
Vincent Kiprono Chemitei’s Education Background
Vincent completed his primary education at a local school in Kisanana Ward and later joined secondary school at a community institution in Baringo County, though specific names are not confirmed.
There are no public details about Chemitei’s higher education, such as the university or college he attended after high school, but his role as a pool table merchant shows that he developed self-taught skills that surpassed formal education.
Chemitei’s Family Background
Chemitei Kiprono is 31 years of age, born in 1990 in Nyali-Buch, Sinende Location, Kisanana Ward, Mogotio Constituency, Baringo County, into a family of eight siblings.
He is the seventh child born in the family, and his late father was a former councilor, with details of his mother not publicly mentioned.
He is of the Endoroi ethnic group, a marginalized and minority community among the Kalenjin.
His father’s political background, though not as strong, leaves the family with a modest political legacy that underscores Chemitei’s grassroots mobilization skills and community ties.
Vincent Chemutei’s Journey to Nominations
As a young man, Kiprono worked in a local pool hall before landing a job as a driver for Mogotio MP Reuben Kiborek, a role that saw him immersed in political circles and honed his community mobilization skills.
This practical exposure, rather than formal qualifications, built his reputation as a relatable organizer for Baringo’s marginalized groups, including Endorois, Pokot, and Ilchamus communities, who had long been sidelined since devolution in 2013.
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Following the death of Senator William Cheptumo in April, Chemitei entered the UDA primaries as one of nine aspirants, and on September 20, 2025, in Baringo’s first-ever electronic voting primaries, he clinched victory with 48,791 votes, defeating his closest rival, Wycliffe Kipsang Tobole.
On September 21, 2025, he was awarded Chemitei his nomination certificate at the Kabarnet Rehabilitation Center, where he vowed to unite and transform the county. President William Ruto personally endorsed him during a State House meeting on October 9, 2025, and extended best wishes alongside other by-election candidates.
His story is a beacon of hope for youth and hustlers eyeing political change in Kenya’s Rift Valley.
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