Nandi Hills United Democratic Alliance (UDA) flagbearer Bernard Kitur faces an uphill task in clinching the parliamentary seat after vocal legislator Alfred Keter turned independent on being denied the party ticket in the primaries.
Mr Keter had been declared winner but lost the ticket to Mr Kitur because of his unrelenting criticism of Deputy President William Ruto, the Kenya Kwanza presidential flagbearer.
The DP is viewed as the Kalenjin supremo and the Nandi Hills legislator has been branded a rebel out to scuttle UDA boss Ruto’s presidential ambitions, claims the MP has vigorously denied, blaming his political enemies for creating a rift between him and the DP for vested interests.
“I’ve nothing personal against the deputy president and I’ll campaign for him to clinch the presidency. It’s my political detractors who’ve created the imaginary differences,” Mr Keter said in an interview before he was denied the UDA party clearance despite having floored his opponent by over 3,000 votes.
The outspoken lawmaker hopes to overcome the UDA wave as he seeks a third term in the august House.
Popular party
UDA is the most popular party in the region.
“It’s the voters who’ll decide my political destiny,” Mr Keter says.
The electorate, he adds, should be empowered to make independent decisions in choosing their preferred leaders.
Mr Keter was first elected to represent the cosmopolitan constituency in 2013 and retained the seat in 2017 on a Jubilee ticket.
However, a voter went to court to have his victory nullified over alleged electoral malpractices.
In 2018, the High Court dismissed the application, giving the legislator a fresh mandate.
UDA primaries
During UDA primaries in April, Mr Keter garnered 10,273 votes against his main challenger, Mr Kitur, who got 7,468 votes.
Mr Kitur disputed the results and launched a complaint with the party’s Disputes Resolution Committee to have the victory invalidated on grounds that the elections were not free and fair.
He cited voter bribery and intimidation by Mr Keter’s supporters in various polling stations.
The committee sealed Mr Keter’s fate when it allowed the application and handed the party ticket to his rival.
Mr Keter decided to jump ship and go it alone as an independent candidate, setting the stage for a rematch with Mr Kitur and the UDA brigade.
According to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) figures, Nandi County has 346,007 registered voters spread across 796 polling stations.
Nandi Hills constituency has 51,393 voters.
Fanatic support for UDA
It will be interesting to see how Mr Keter fares in a region UDA party enjoys fanatic support.
The constituency, which was carved out of the larger Tinderet, represented in the past by the likes of fiery legislator Jean Marie Seroney, is known for shaping Nandi politics.
Just like Seroney, who died in 1982, Mr Keter is credited with championing the Nandi community’s and other Kenyans’ rights.
Next week’s elections will, therefore, in a way be a contest between personal leadership qualities and party loyalty.
Political realignments
The constituency has continued to experience political realignments following the nullification of Mr Keter’s UDA party certificate.
Some of Mr Keter’s critics say the legislator will give the UDA candidate a run for his money.
“All aspirants who contested against Mr Keter are in agreement the MP won the party nominations,” said Mr Robert Chepkwony, one of the MP’s political rivals.
‘Azimio sympathiser’
To ensure the party wins the seat, the UDA team has been calling for a six-piece voting pattern. They want residents to vote for all UDA candidates in large numbers to give their leader numerical strength in Parliament.
As part of the anti-Keter crusade, they have branded him an ‘Azimio sympathiser’.
The Kenya Kwanza brigade led by its deputy presidential candidate Rigathi Gachagua, Nandi Governor Stephen Sang, Elgeyo-Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen, his Nandi counterpart Samson Cherargei and legislators Caleb Kositany (Soy), Oscar Sudi (Kapseret) and Didmus Barasa (Kimilili) have frequented the constituency, rooting for six-piece voting in a spirited attempt to lock out the vocal legislator.
They have been rallying the electorate to support Mr Kitur after the party endorsed him.
“I plead with voters in Nandi Hills to elect UDA party nominee Kitur and reject candidates seeking elective posts as independent candidates,” Governor Sang said.
While taking the bottom-up economic model message to Nandi County, Mr Gachagua appealed to residents to shun candidates from rival political formations and independents and only vote for Kenya Kwanza candidates.
Grassroots mobiliser
“How can you vote for Ruto for presidency and elect an independent MP?” Mr Gachagua asked while speaking in Nandi Hills town.
But Mr Keter, a good grassroots mobiliser, has promised his rival a bruising political battle, noting that the electorate have the final say on who will be their next legislator.
Known for his oratory skills, Mr Keter has a fanatical following in the constituency.
He maintains that his support for DP Ruto for the presidency is unquestionable but wants residents to exercise their democratic right in choosing their leaders.
‘On the wrong side’
“What I want to make clear is that I support DP Ruto to be the fifth president. I respect him as our community leader, and I will be campaigning for him,” he said.
Mr Kitur counters that Nandi Hills is a UDA zone and urges the voters to elect him as their next MP to enable him revive stalled projects and initiate new ones.
“We’ve been on the wrong side of the government for a long time but this time round, vote wisely and elect me as your next MP,” Mr Kitur said.
“I’ll ensure that the bottom-up economic model is implemented to boost the socio-economic status of our people,” he added. BY DAILY NATION