Deputy governors in the North Rift counties have remained silent about their political future ahead of the general election.
They are unsure whether they will be retained as running mates by their bosses.
None of the deputy governors has so far shown any political interest in any other seat, but there are fears some of them may be dropped by the governors for the elections.
In Uasin Gishu county, for instance, someone else has expressed interest in being Governor Jackson Mandago’s deputy next year.
“I will be seeking the deputy governor’s slot under a political partnership between communities in this region so that we have ethnic balance for purposes of cohesion, peace and unity between our people,” Huruma MCA Peter Chomba said.
Chomba comes from the Kikuyu community, the second largest vote bloc in Uasin Gishu, and the decision by the community to front one of them for deputy governor has forced most governor hopefuls to negotiate with other communities for running mates.
Current Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno is Mandago’s close ally, but there have been no indications whether the two will vie together or not.
Trans Nzoia Deputy Governor Stanley Kenei has recently defended Governor Patrick Khaemba’s performance, amid demands by some Ford Kenya officials that Khaemba should pick another running mate next year.
The county is highly cosmopolitan. While Khaemba is from the majority Luhya community, Kenei is from the Kalenjin community, which is also populous in the county.
“We will back Khaemba and his team because they have performed well,” Ford-K county chairman Ken Wafula said. In Nandi, sources say Governor Cleophas Lagat will most likely retain Deputy Governor Dominic Biwott as his running mate.