Battle of heavyweights as Tolgos, Murkomen clash in Elgeyo Marakwet Senate race
The race for Elgeyo-Marakwet Senate seat is shaping up to be a domesticated supremacy contest pitting Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Coalition Party presidential candidate Raila Odinga and his Kenya Kwanza opponent William Ruto.
Both coalitions have fronted their lieutenants in the region—Governor Alex Tolgos, who is Azimio’s Rift Valley co-ordinator, and the incumbent, Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, who is among DP Ruto’s closest confidants.
Mr Tolgos is contesting under the Jubilee Party while Mr Murkomen is flying the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) flag after being nominated unopposed in the primaries.
Lawyer Kiprop Marrirmoi (Independent) is making a political debut.
Mr Tolgos and Mr Murkomen are serving their second terms but since 2013 when they were first elected, they have not been seeing each other eye-to-eye despite serving in different capacities, a rivalry that dates back to their high school days at St Patrick’s Iten.
Mr Tolgos and Mr Murkomen have been engaged in a blame game over the stalling of the graft-ridden Sh63 billion Arror and Kimwarer dam projects.
Rampant insecurity
Rampant insecurity in Kerio Valley is one of the major campaign issues in the county.
In the 2017 General Election, Elgeyo-Marakwet voted 99 per cent for the Jubilee Party, with Mr Murkomen trouncing former Inspector-General of Police David Kimaiyo (Kanu), Mr Cornelius Chepsoi and Prof Joel Kiboss, both independent candidates, to win a second term in the Senate.
According to the 2019 Kenya Population and Housing Census, there are 454,480 people in the county, with 213,283 registered voters spread across four constituencies and 20 wards.
Although the region is a UDA stronghold, Azimio is making inroads, promising a bruising race for the senatorial seat.
Before the entry of Governor Tolgos, Mr Murkomen was sure of a third term because he didn’t expect strong opposition but he has been forced to go back to the drawing board and is now conducting door-to-door campaigns.
Mr Tolgos is promising to push for additional financial allocation to the county from the current Sh4.5 billion to Sh8 billion and ensure the funds are used for the intended purposes.
“During my two-term tenure as governor, I managed to increase the allocation from Sh2.3 billion to the current Sh4.5 billion and if elected the next senator, my role will be to advocate for more financial allocation to the county,” the outgoing governor says.
The oversight role in management of public resources tops his list of priorities.
He pledges to work with elected lawmakers in promoting public participation in the implementation of development projects.
“What the public needs is a senator who can reach out to them and listen to their issues and provide possible solutions,” Mr Tolgos says.
He has dismissed claims that his senatorial bid is aimed at covering the ‘evils’ he committed while serving as the county chief.
“There are several investigative agencies including the Public Accounts Committee, Directorate of Criminal Investigations and the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission that can [investigate] any administrative and financial misdeeds while in office,” he says.
While maintaining that he will be open to public scrutiny, Mr Tolgos asked senators to be fair to sitting governors and invite county executives and chief officers to answer any audit queries.
Political pundits in the region predict a gruelling battle between the two.
‘Super Senator’
Mr Gideon Kimaiyo, a lawyer and political analyst, told the Daily Nation that many had underestimated Governor Tolgos against the self-styled ‘Super Senator’ Murkomen, who is seen in some quarters to have lost touch with his supporters on the ground.
“All is not safe for UDA dominance in the region as Azimio candidates are quickly gaining traction among locals. Mr Murkomen was initially perceived to have overwhelming dominance of Elgeyo-Marakwet politics but not anymore,” he said.
Mr Tolgos, he said, recently unveiled his campaign machinery comprising several top-notch Jubilee-branded vehicles, sending his opponent into panic mode.
“To counter this, the articulate and suave Senator Murkomen scheduled an array of campaign rallies across the county attended by UDA luminaries, including Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa and Nandi Governor Stephen Sang’. This is an indication of a tough race,” he said.
Mr Kimaiyo added that the UDA primaries left some aspirants, who felt that Mr Murkomen influenced the results, bitter.
Tolgos’ undoing
He, however, said Mr Tolgos’ undoing will be his perceived support for independent candidates against the dominance of UDA party and by extension unwavering support for DP William Ruto in the region.
While being cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission to contest in the August polls, Mr Murkomen was buoyant that he would be re-elected for a third term because he has excelled in his senatorial duties as required by law.
“I don’t want to assume. I want to request for your vote. I can become a good senator who stays in my county and interacts with the people every day, but it will be useless if we don’t work hard to secure our place in the next government,” he said.
Environment enthusiast
“I’ve done what you sent me to do perfectly in the Senate and also lobbied for the tarmacking of several roads, among other projects, in the region. The county has also seen an increase of revenue allocated by the national government.”
Lawyer Marrirmoi, who is taking a first stab at elective politics, said he will fuse his senate role with environmental conservation if he wins the polls.
“I believe I’ve what it takes to lead this country because I’m a safe pair of hands. I’m an environment enthusiast, and this county is experiencing wanton environmental degradation. If elected, this should be remedied through relevant laws,” the lawyer says. BY DAILY NATION
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