Anxiety grips UDA aspirants as election board says all system go

Anxiety has gripped UDA aspirants across the country after the party’s National Elections Board said they are ready for primaries.

The Deputy President William Ruto’s led party will hold nominations in 36 counties to pick aspirants for the August 9 general election.

On Wednesday, NEB chairman Antony Mwaura announced that the preparations for the high stakes exercise are complete with all election materials already ferried to the 15,000 polling stations.

“The party has acquired 75,000 transparent ballot boxes complete with 650,000 seals and they have been transported to various constituencies across the country,” Mwaura told journalists at the party’s new offices on Ngong Road.

He added ballot boxes have unique security features that will make it difficult to reproduce.

However, the party has suspended the exercise in three constituencies – Narok South, Nakuru Town West because of a mix-up in ballot papers, and Nandi Hills because of death of an aspirant.

The nominations in the three areas will be conducted on April 19.

Only the eight millions registered members of the party will be participating in the polls.

Polling stations will be opened at 6am with the exercise expected to end at 5pm.

Winners will be issued with interim certificates by the constituency and county returning officers.

Permanent certificate will be issued by the board.

Nominations for governors will take place in 13 counties, those of senators will be conducted in 18 while Woman Rep will be conducted in 28 counties.

But as the board announced its readiness for the exercise, aspirants, especially those from the party’s strongholds of Rift Valley and Mt Kenya, expressed their anxiety ahead of the exercise.

They implored the party top brass to conduct free, fair and peaceful primaries to enhance the UDA's chances of winning most seats in the general election.

In Nakuru, several aspirants aired their frustrations over the primaries as they accuse some powerful party members from the area of planting seeds of discord among hopefuls.

At the heart of the controversy is Senator Susan Kihika who the aspirants have accused of preferring some candidates rather than leaving the ground level for all to compete.

The aspirants have urged Mwaura to pay special attention to the county.

In a statement, aspirants from Nakuru Town West constituency said Kihika, who is also the gubernatorial seat aspirant, should stop the intended interference with the elections.

“From the information we have, a gubernatorial aspirant by the name Susan Kihika, is hell bent on interfering with the elections. She has planted aspirants in various constituencies and wards.”

The areas where the senator is alleged to have planted her preferred aspirants are Bahati, Naivasha, Nakuru Town West, Rongai, London ward and Shabab ward.

But Kihika said the fear by the aspirants is unfounded since the elections will be conducted by a neutral team constituted by the NEB.

Kihika said she has no intention to interfere with the nominations and will let the people decide.

“I don’t know where this is coming from, I have no intentions whatsoever to interfere with the nominations,” she said.

Keroche chief executive Tabitha Karanja, who is seeking the senatorial seat in Nakuru called for a peaceful nomination exercise, adding that the county was larger than any individual.

She said having acquired several awards in her role in the brewery, she was ready to serve the county in the oversight role.

“I have managed to lift Keroche from a small entity to one of the largest breweries in the region and I am asking for a chance to serve you as a senator and make sure revenue collected is well used,” she said.

Naivasha MP Jane Kihara exuded confidence that she would emerge the winner noting that her development record was evidence of her capacity to deliver.

Kihara, who is facing stiff competition from former MP John Kihagi accused some outsiders of trying to influence the outcome of the elections.

In the North Rift, the election materials were distributed to all counties yesterday even as aspirants exuded confidence that the exercise will be free, fair, credible and verifiable.

Ballot papers, ballot boxes, voter registers and other necessary materials were given to all electoral areas.

The party also deployed returning officers and clerks to be stationed at all polling centres.

In Nandi county, however an aspirant for the Emgwen MP seat Meshack Kimutai withdrew from the race at the last minute saying he had no confidence in the exercise.

“The process won’t be free and fair as promised. There have been dealings meant to facilitate rigging in favour of some aspirants," Kimutai said.

He claimed officials set to preside over the primaries had been handpicked by some individuals interested in tampering with the process.

“I have thus pulled out of the funny process,” Kimutai said.

Paul Kiprop, the party’s coordinator and patron Joseph Wainaina said all was set for the primaries.

Yesterday, NEB said it has hired 200 constituency returning officers, 21,000 presiding officers and 52,000 clerks to conduct the elections.

"All these officers have undergone rigorous training and are ready for duty on Thursday," Mwaura said.

He said besides hiring their own security personnel, the party has written to Police IG to deploy at least 30,000 uniformed police officers to man the polling stations.

In Kiambu, some aspirants alleged of a plot by their competitors to hire gangs to disrupt the exercise.

Others claimed some aspirants are peddling propaganda that they already have direct tickets, while others are confident that the exercise will be conducted in a free and fair manner.

Kiambu Town MP hopeful Anthony Karanja said war drums by his competitors have been beaten through social media.

“Social media is being used to intimidate and instil fear with illegal gangs being put strategically to disrupt the exercise in areas that I enjoy support,” Karanja said.

He said the UDA national election board should put up more security in the polling centres to avert any disruption of the exercise.

In Nyeri, all is set for the nominations amid allegations by some contestants that Jubilee party was planning to interfere with the exercise.

County returning officer Frederick Wanyoro said some materials arrived Tuesday night and were being distributed to constituencies.

Wanyoro said Mathira tallying centre will be in Karatina Girls High School, while Mukurwe-ini's will be at PCEA Mojito Primary School.

Kieni’s will be at Mweiga High School, in Tetu it will be will be at Kagumo TTC while that of Nyeri town will be at Nyeri Primary School.

The county tallying centre will be the Nyeri Cultural Centre.

The exercise will be taking place in all the 572 polling stations in the county.

(Edited by Tabnacha O)