Five Ruto allies to battle it out for the UDA ticket in Nandi top seat

A political showdown is looming in Nandi County, where five aspirants eyeing the governor’s seat will battle it out for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket in primaries set to kick off in a two weeks’ time.

Those seeking to unseat Deputy President William Ruto’s ally, Governor Stephen Sang, include former minister Henry Kosgey’s eldest son Allan Kosgey, former governor Cleophas Lagat, former MP Elijah Lagat and Mr Antipas Tirop, a Kenya Pipeline top manager.

The race for the seat has intensified after the former governor and Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo, who was also in the race, came together to form a coalition ahead of the party primaries.

Nandi Kwanza Alliance

The duo inked a pre-election pact, with the County Assembly Speaker ceded the contest to settle for the running mate position that will see him deputize Dr Lagat should they clinch the top seat.

Until the other day, the County Assembly Speaker was also a contender for the seat, and was also eyeing the UDA ticket.

With the new alliance, the race has now narrowed down to the three political heavyweights- Governor Sang, Dr Lagat and Mr Kosgey, seen to be the frontrunners for the seat.

Dubbed the Nandi Kwanza Alliance, the Lagat-Kiptoo coalition was unveiled at a two-hour political rally attended by the delegations from Chesumei, Mosop, Tindiret, Emgwen, Aldai and Nandi hills, where the duo was unanimously endorsed by their supporters, less than two weeks to the UDA nominations.

“We are going to rewrite the history of Nandi County by forming an inclusive government that will consider the development interests of residents. This will be the only development oriented government and we are looking forward to winning the party primaries,” Dr. Lagat said as he addressed a rally in Kapsabet.

Tycoons in the county recently threw their weight behind Mr Kosgey, a Nairobi-based lawyer.

The gubernatorial campaigns have also roped in influential church leaders in the region, who want to influence the county’s political agenda.

Come back

Dr Lagat will attempt to make a political comeback after suffering a humiliating defeat in the Jubilee nominations that preceded the 2017 General Election, with the ticket going to Mr Sang, who ultimately won.

The UDA primaries will be a tough contest in the Rift Valley region, where whoever clinches the ticket will be many steps closer to winning the elections.

Dr Lagat has gone flat out in his campaigns, accusing his successor of failing to deliver on the expectations of the electorate.

If Nandi residents give him another chance, he promises to reclaim the county and complete the projects he had started that have stalled.

His political come-back has gained political traction, unlike when he lost to Governor Sang in 2017, where his administration was accused of failing to deliver up to the electorates’ expectations.

He has defended himself and dismissed graft allegations that marred his government, claiming that his rivals then employed political smearing antics to hoodwink the voters.

“My track record can be seen and some of the projects I had started were abandoned. It is my intention to come back and complete them if you give me a chance,” he stated.

Before he entered the pact with Dr. Lagat, Mr Kiptoo, the county assembly Speaker, another political archrival of Mr Sang had presented himself as the ‘problem fixer,’ promising to correct the ‘mess’ caused by the current administration.