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Governor of Kericho County
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Dr. Erick Kipkoech Mutai (born 28 December 1983) is a Kenyan academic-turned-politician serving as the second Governor of Kericho County, a position he assumed after winning the 9 August 2022 General Election on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket. He hails from Rungut village in Bureti, attended Rugut Primary School and Litein High School (1997–2001), then pursued a Bachelor of Education in English and Literature at Maseno University, graduating in 2008. He went on to obtain a Master’s degree in Literature and Communication from the University of Kabianga in 2014, and later completed a PhD in the same field at Laikipia University in 2017. Before entering politics, Mutai built a career in education: he briefly taught at Kapkarin Secondary School, was involved in in-service teacher training at Kipsigis Teachers College, and rose to senior lecturer status at the University of Embu, where he was known for his background in literature, communication and pedagogy. Elected governor after a surprise underdog victory over several political heavyweights in the 2022 UDA primaries and subsequent county polls, Mutai has styled himself as “the Equaliser,” promising fairer resource distribution and a reset in county governance. In office, he has prioritised healthcare, agriculture, industrialisation and governance reforms, overseeing projects such as upgrades to health facilities, a modern maize milling plant at Kedowa, and regional partnerships around renewable energy, water and education. He has also positioned Kericho within continental frameworks by hosting an African Union Agenda 2063 dissemination workshop, highlighting the county’s use of technology—including drone delivery of blood for transfusions—as a symbol of innovation in devolved healthcare. At the same time, his tenure has been politically turbulent: in 2024 and again in 2025 he faced impeachment by the County Assembly on allegations including abuse of office and irregular appointments, but on both occasions the Senate cleared him after finding that the constitutional threshold for removal had not been met. As of November 2025, he continues to serve as Governor of Kericho County, navigating both ambitious development plans and intense political scrutiny.
Modernising healthcare and emergency response: Led the launch of Kenya’s first county-level partnership with Zipline for drone delivery of medicines, vaccines and blood to over 200 health facilities, cutting response times and logistics costs; overseen expansion of trauma and emergency care infrastructure, including the Living Hope Emergency and Trauma Centre in Londiani and the ongoing Sosiot Sub-County Casualty Block, alongside strengthened services at Kericho County Referral Hospital with a focus on radiology, renal care, maternity and oncology planning.
Driving agricultural value addition and rural livelihoods: Championed the flagship Kedowa Maize Milling Plant—whose main mill infrastructure is now complete—to stabilise maize prices, reduce post-harvest losses and create local jobs; supported dairy and livestock value chains through initiatives such as milk cooling plants and a county Foot and Mouth Disease vaccination campaign under an e-voucher system, aligning with Kericho’s 2023–2027 CIDP agenda on agro-processing and animal health.
Dr. Mutai has twice faced impeachment by the Kericho County Assembly, first in October 2024 and again in August 2025, on charges including gross violation of the Constitution, breach of national and county laws (notably the Public Finance Management Act and the Public Procurement and Asset Disposal Act), abuse of office, irregular and skewed appointments, and misuse of public resources. In both instances, the Senate conducted full trials and ultimately acquitted him, ruling that the Assembly had not met the constitutional threshold for removal, though the allegations have continued to shape public debate around his leadership.
The impeachment proceedings have also featured detailed accusations of governance and workplace misconduct, including claims of bullying and vilification of staff and residents, failure to implement proper financial controls over county revenue, and broader charges of gross misconduct in the management of county affairs. Dr. Mutai has strongly denied these allegations before the Senate, framing them as politically motivated, but they remain part of his contested record in Kericho politics.
Strengthening governance, public finance and land protection: Under his administration, Kericho has been cited in commentary based on Controller of Budget data as one of the stronger performers in development spending efficiency, while locally he has ended “framework contracting” in favour of strict e-procurement to enhance transparency. He has also personally led operations to repossess grabbed public land, including a key dumpsite near Kericho town, and ordered publication of all illegally acquired county parcels as part of a broader anti–land grabbing drive.
Positioning Kericho in regional and international platforms: Convened an AU Agenda 2063 dissemination workshop bringing together multiple counties; represented Kericho in regional forums such as the EU deforestation regulation coffee stakeholders’ meeting; and, most recently, embarked on a week-long working tour of Sweden to secure partnerships in education, water, renewable energy, health and agriculture—moves that tie local development projects to continental and global policy and investment frameworks
His confrontational relationship with sections of the County Assembly has spilled into the public arena, with highly charged sittings that at one point degenerated into physical altercations among MCAs following an impeachment vote. Both sides have traded accusations of manipulation and bad faith, reinforcing perceptions of deep political divisions within Kericho’s devolved government rather than consensus-driven governance.
Separately, Mutai’s aggressive campaign against alleged land grabbing—especially a controversial operation to reclaim a two-acre parcel designated as a county dumpsite near Kericho County Hospital—has drawn mixed reactions. Supporters see it as a firm stand against corruption and illegal allocations of public land, while critics have questioned aspects of the operation and environmental management of the dumpsite, prompting investigations by the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission into historic irregular allocations in the area.
