Murkomen aide bags UDA ticket as two MPs, 15 MCAs trounced
Mr Adams Kipsanai,who trounced incumbent Keiyo North MP Dr James Murgor in the UDA party nominations displays his certificate after being declared the winner.
What you need to know:
- Dr Murgor and Mr Rono were defeated by youthful politicians –Mr Adams Kipsanai and Mr Gideon Kimaiyo, respectively.
- Both Kipsanai and Kimaiyo are attempting to take the seats for the second time.
- Mr Kimaiyo garnered 16, 204 votes against Mr Rono’s 6,213, while Mr Kipsanai won with 6,523 to beat Dr Murgor, who received 6,383 votes.
Two MPs and 15 members of the county assembly in Elgeyo Marakwet have been trounced in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party primaries.
Keiyo North MP Dr James Murgor and his Keiyo South counterpart Mr Daniel Rono were defeated by youthful politicians – Mr Adams Kipsanai, 35, and Mr Gideon Kimaiyo, 33 and respectively.
Dr Murgor lost his bid to defend his seat on a UDA ticket after being trounced by Mr Kipsanai, an aide of Elgeyo Marakwet Senator Kipchumba Murkomen in the UDA party primaries.
Mr Kimaiyo garnered 16, 204 votes against Mr Rono’s 6,213, while Mr Kipsanai won with 6,523 to beat Dr Murgor, who received 6,383 votes.
Only five MCAs clinched the party’s tickets in Thursday' polls, which were marred by low voter turnout.
Senator Murkomen did not have a competitor in the race and was automatically nominated to defend his seat in the August General Election.
Both Kipsanai and Kimaiyo are attempting to take the seats for the second time.
If they win in the August polls, they will be trailblazers among young leaders in the region.
Mr Kimaiyo, 33, said his focus is to bring socioeconomic development in the region.
“There are a lot of untapped resources in Keiyo South which need a pragmatic leader to exploit for the benefit of locals. I have a vast network which I intend to exploit in changing the livelihoods of residents,” said Mr Kimaiyo, a Nairobi-based businessman.
For his part, Mr Kipsanai thanked his supporters for the victory, saying they believed in his manifesto, which he said gave him the victory.
“My focus will be on youth and women’s empowerment because they have always been looked down upon in the constituency. No youth has ever been elected to such a position,” he said after receiving his nomination certificate at the Iten tallying centre.
In Marakwet East and Marakwet West constituencies, provisional results showed both incumbents Mr Kangogo Bowen and Mr William Kisang were poised to bag the tickets, though they were leading only by narrow margins.
Mr Bowen was leading with 9,402 votes, with 139 of 142 polling stations reporting.
His challenger, Mr Lawrence Mutwol, had 8,098 votes, with Mr Laxamana Peter Kiptoo registering 6,343.
Mr Kisang, on the other hand, was leading with 11,960 votes while his main challenger, Mr Timothy Toroitich, was trailing closely with 10,818.
