Gladys Shollei’s decision to vie for the senate seat in Uasin Gishu will spice up politics in the region that is home to Deputy President William Ruto.
Shollei will compete with other opponents who are close allies of the DP including former MP for Eldoret East, Joseph Lagat and former Wareng County Council chairman Paul Kiprop along with current senator Isaac Melly.
She is from the Keiyo community which forms about 30 per cent of the voting block in Uasin Gishu where the Kalenjins are majority with over 40 per cent of the voters. The region also has a huge population of the Kikuyu and Luhya communities.
Shollei’s home is located in Plateau area along the border between the Uasin Gishu and Elgeyo Marakwet counties. If she is successful in her quest to be senator, she will be the second senior most and prominent woman from the Keiyo community to join politics in Uasin Gishu. This is after Professor Margaret Kamar who was also MP for Eldoret East and is now seeking governorship in the county.
Political activist Joseph Chumba said yesterday that Shollei has many advantages and could upstage her rivals in that she is a well-known figure in the region, is learned and comes from a prominent family in the area.
“She is viewed as one who can fight for the people considering the tribulations she has gone through in the judiciary and her entry into local politics will definitely shift the balance,” said Chumba.
However, her critics say she will have to really put effort to convince the ordinary voters to back her bid. “She will have to work hard to fit into real grassroot politics because she is new and will start from scratch to build political networks,” said former councilor James Kilel.
Kanu official Paul Kibet said Shollei is a national figure and it will be easier for her to make an entry into the county politics.