Uasin Gishu Senator Margaret Kamar will face a major battle in seeking re-election after Governor Jackson Mandago announced he will go for the seat.
Kamar is an experienced politician and Deputy Speaker of the Senate but he is among politicians in the region not allied to DP William Ruto and his UDA party.
The senator vied for the governor's seat against Mandago but lost. Now the county boss is going for her job. Mandago is a close ally of the DP and will give Kamar a run for her money in Ruto's backyard where UDA is expected to be dominant in the coming election.
Mandago spoke at Kipkenyo town in Uasin Gishu on Friday where he opened a new bussiness in the area.
“It’s not a must to be a lawyer so that I vie for the Senate seat. I have what it takes and will go for it," he said.
Its not clear what party Kamar, a Jubilee senator, will run on in 2020.
Mandago, who is completing his two terms as county chief, said the Senate seat was not a preserve of anyone.
He becomes the first of the second-term governors in the North Rift to announce his political plans.
A week ago his counterpart in Elgeyo Marakwet, Alex Tolgos, said he may take a break from politics at the end of his term.
Governor Josphat Nanok of Turkana is busy campaigning for DP Ruto and has not said if he will go for any elective seat.
Patrick Khaemba of Trans Nzoia has taken a low profile, keeping away from political events.
Edited by Henry Makori
