Nandi county assembly speaker Joshua Kiptoo, aged 33, has joined the race for governor, competing with four other aspirants for the UDA ticket.
They hope to unseat incumbent Stephen Sang, who will fight for the UDA ticket. When he was elected in 2017, he was Kenya's youngest governor at age 32.
Sang is credited with greatly strengthening the health sector. Analysts say he will not be easy to defeat, especially as he is a gifted orator.
Kiptoo holds a master's degree in law. His entry will likely throw the race open even wider.
Sang will also face lawyer Allan Kosgey, finance expert Antipas Tirop and former Governor Dr Cleophas Langat, popularly known as Chematel.
“I believe the people of Nandi will elect me to lead the county and re-engineer the failed hope in devolution for the people of Nandi who have now been let down by two regimes," Kiptoo said.
For the last year, Kiptoo has been laying the ground for his entry into the race and he has particularly attracted young people. His slogan is "Fix Nandi" and he calls to liberate the region from bad leadership.
“My plan is to focus more on service delivery and not invest in failed capital projects as has been the case. We have many stalled capital projects that do not benefit residents," Kiptoo said.
"If elected, I will complete the projects and ensure they deliver services."
He has also been marketing people-centered leadership. He plans to devolve county funding to the wards where he promises to have strong project management committees to drive the development agenda.
Kiptoo says he has gained experience in devolution having served well as speaker. He says DP William Ruto’s bottom-up economic model will help transform many lives.
Allan Koskey, who is a son of former powerful minister Henry Kosgey, has caused ripples in the region with intensive campaigning. Analysts say, however, the entry of his brother Alex Kosgey in the Senate race could complicate political arithmetic for both of them. Too much power concentrated in one family? some ask.
Lagat told the Star he will soon announce his plans. P Ruto visited the county last week and said residents will be free to elect the leaders they desire through UDA.
He said party primaries will be free and fair and, although all the aspirants are his allies, none of them would be favored.
(Edited by V. Graham)
