•Kihika did not face any primaries and was given a direct ticket under UDA Party.
•Waiguru raised claims of rigging as tallying was underway
Image: DPPS
Notable women leaders have put their foot forward and are waiting to be crowned as winners following Tuesday's poll.
The Kirinyaga race has attracted two powerful names of women politicians who are currently in a neck and neck race.
The Incumbent Ann Waiguru of the UDA party is facing stiff competition from Wangui Ngirici who is seeking to unseat her on an independent ticket.
On Wednesday, Waiguru raised claims of poll rigging as tallying got underway.
"Rigging in broad light -Two ballot boxes with governors' ballots enter Kianyaga through the back door in broad daylight!" she said.
Ngirici hit back at Waiguru after the claims of poll rigging.
"The only back door that we know was at NYS during your tenure. TUPO SITE!" she said.
Their rivalry started last year when Waiguru joined Deputy President Willam Ruto UDA Party last year.
Ngirici had been part of the UDA Party before but exited willingly after Ruto fronted Waiguru in the Kirinyaga race.
Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika is also in a tight race with Governor Lee Kinyanjui over the city’s top seat.
Kihika did not face any primaries and was given a direct ticket under UDA Party. In 2013, she contested the Bahati parliamentary seat but lost.
Kihika then went on to beat a field of seven opponents, to emerge as the first Assembly Speaker of Nakuru County.
In 2017, the former Speaker under Jubilee Party made her debut in the 12th Parliament after she garnered 637,700 votes in the Nakuru Senatorial seat.
She is, however, facing strong competition from Governor Kinyanjui who is seeking to deliver services to Nakuru residents for a second time.
Entrepreneur founder and Chief Executive Officer of the Keroche Breweries, Tabitha Karanja is in the race to win the Senatorial seat under the UDA Party.
However, her journey has been faced with legal battles with the Kenya Revenue Authority (KRA) over her company.
The Naivasha-based plant had been closed over a tax dispute of up to Sh957 million but was recently opened following a court order.
Thirteen candidates had wanted to run for the Senator seat but only 11 were cleared; two failed to meet IEBC requirements.
Homa Bay Woman Representative Gladys Wanga is seeking to become the first female Governor to succeed outgoing Cyprian Awiti.
She is, however, facing competition from former Nairobi governor Evans Kidero who is vying on an independent ticket.
Wanga is currently the chairperson of the Finance and Budget committee at the National Assembly.
Homa Bay has eight constituencies with 551,071 registered voters. Other constituencies are Rangwe and Suba South.
Currently, tallying of votes from polling stations is still going on at constituency tallying centres. The county has 1,228 polling satiations.
Former Transport Chief Administrative Secretary Wavinya Ndeti Is aspiring to be Machakos first female Governor under the Wiper party.
She is contesting against top political heavyweights among them United Democratic Alliance (UDA) Chairman Johnson Muthama and former State House Chief of Staff Nzioka Waita (Chama Cha Uzalendo).
She was faced with a ‘degree saga’ where an application had been filed by two voters who sought to have her locked out of the race, claiming she issued a fake degree certificate.
However, a court sitting in Machakos has thrown out an application challenging the validity of Wavinya's degree certificate.
Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa is among five gubernatorial candidates who have been cleared by the IEBC in Kilifi County to contest in the upcoming general elections on August 9.
Others include Former Devolution CAS Gideon Mung'aro (ODM) Malindi MP Aisha Jumwa (UDA), lawyer George Kithi (PAA), Franco Esposito Kasoso Baya, and Engineer Dzombo Mbaru of the Safina party.
Jumwa who is UDA’s candidate is facing stiff competition from PAA’s Kithi.