Nakuru Governor Lee Kinyanjui has dropped his deputy, Dr Eric Korir, and named Ms Francisca Kamuren as his running mate ahead of the August 9 General Election.
Governor Kinyanjui made the announcement on Monday, hours after his political archrival Susan Kihika picked Kuresoi South-born teacher David Kones as her running mate.
“After long consultations with diverse stakeholders, I have decided to appoint Ms Francisca Jelagat Kamuren as my running mate in the August 9 polls,” said Mr Kinyanjui in a statement.
Ms Kamuren, 47, is an educationist with a master’s degree in linguistics from Egerton University.
She has been a lecturer at Kabarak, St Paul, Masinde Muliro, and Egerton universities.
Ms Kamuren participated in the Nakuru West constituency United Democratic Alliance (UDA) primaries recently but lost to Mr Kamau Githengi, finishing second.
In the hotly contested primaries, Ms Kamuren garnered 2,600 votes against Mr Kamau’s 3,100.
Before Mr Kinyanjui picked her, Ms Kamuren had announced she would vie for the seat as an independent candidate.
Ms Kamuren, who has been supporting Deputy President William Ruto's bid for the presidency, will now join Mr Kinyanjui (Jubilee) in his campaigns ahead of the polls.
Political pundits say Mr Kinyanjui’s choice of a female running mate could be an added advantage in the Nakuru governor’s race.
That is because “many women and members of the Kalenjin community will now support his bid. It seems like a political card to win over his closest competitor Senator Susan Kihika,” said lawyer and political analyst Steve Kabita.
Dr Korir, who has been Mr Kinyanjui’s deputy since 2017, is a resident of Kuresoi South.
Before becoming deputy governor, he was a lecturer at Kenya Science Teachers College and at the University of Nairobi.
Nakuru, a cosmopolitan county, has huge pockets of Kalenjin, Kikuyu, Luo, Luhya, Kisii, Kamba and Maasai votes.
Despite that fact, two populous communities, the Kalenjin (mainly the Kipsigis) and the Kikuyu determine who becomes governor and senator in the region.
