Governor Barchok protests over list of UDA assembly nominees
Bomet Governor Hillary Barchok has protested against the United Democratic Alliance’s (UDA) shortlisted candidates for nomination to the county assembly.
Prof Barchok has demanded that the UDA party headquarters review the list to reflect regional balancing and pick candidates who are known.
“We want the anomalies addressed so that nominations can be fair. We do not want outsiders to benefit from slots that ideally belong to locals,” he said.
The slots, he added, must be distributed fairly in the county, claiming, without providing evidence, that some nominees were not locals.
“Some of the candidates in the final shortlist were not in the initial long list. How their names were included in the final list is a matter of conjecture,” he said.
Interestingly, a member of the county assembly who has been in local politics for almost 30 years, has made it to the shortlist amid protests from young people and party supporters.
Mr Robert Kiplangat Serbai was listed as a representative for special-interest groups under the marginalised category.
Mr Serbai was handed a shock defeat in UDA primaries by Mr Japeth Cheruiyot, a painter who is a political greenhorn.
“I am shocked that Mr Serbai has been listed as a retired teacher, when in reality he has never been one. Two of his family members are teachers, but not him,” said Mr Cheruiyot Baliach, a community leader in the ward.
Mr Baliach said: “This idea of recycling leaders rejected by the electorate through a fair nomination process should come to an end. It reflects badly on UDA as a party ahead of the August 9 General Election. The will of the people should prevail.”
Only eight members of the county assembly from Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) and UDA survived party nominations in Bomet County, while 17 were voted out.
Mr Wesley Kiprotich (Chepchabas), the county assembly deputy Speaker, leads the pack of those who survived UDA nominations alongside Mr Wesley Bett (Kongasis), Mr Charles Langat (Boito), Mr Philip Korir (Kipreres), Mr Robert Langat (Mutharakwa) and Haroun Kirui (Silibwet Township).
In CCM, Mr Andrew Maritim (Nyangores), the minority leader, also survived the nomination, as did Mr Robert Rono (Sigor).
Those who passed the nomination test, however, are not sitting pretty, as they have a date with voters on August 9.
Some of the leaders are said to be beneficiaries of flawed nominations, with senior politicians in the country said to have tinkered with the process to favour some candidates.
Some of those who lost in UDA primaries are running as independents, while the fallout has benefited some political parties that have fielded candidates. BY DAILY NATION
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