With the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party nominations set for April 14 and campaigns entering the homestretch, Uasin Gishu gubernatorial aspirants are keen to shed unfavourable tags and perceptions that previously cost them the coveted seat.
Some of the aspirants were, in the 2013 General Election, perceived as projects or elitists, and are now careful about who they associate with so as not to suffer the same setbacks.
In a region where clinching the UDA nomination is considered a step closer to winning the General Election, mudslinging is the norm, because of the high stakes in the race for the party ticket.
The race has attracted Soy MP Caleb Kositany, businessman Jonathan Bii, former ambassadors Sarah Serem (China) and Julius Bitok (Pakistan), former Nairobi environment executive Vesca Kangogo, county assembly Chief Whip David Sing'oei and Mr Solomon Maritim.
Mr Bitok, Mr Bii and Mr Kositany have borne the brunt of criticism as the projects of prominent politicians and want to make sure they are not beaten again in party primaries.
“In the 2013 General Election, I lost the Jubilee party nomination to incumbent Mr Jackson Mandago because my opponents had branded me Deputy President William Ruto’s project, causing my downfall in the primaries,” Prof Bitok told the Nation on Thursday.
He said that in his second stab at the seat, he has been inspiring voters, sharing how he rose from rags to become a professor and later serving as an ambassador.
“I used to sell boiled eggs on the streets of Eldoret, and in the evening trek home, some 10km away. However, many people came to know about me as an ambassador, which made them brand me an elitist. I am happy now that people have come to realise I worked hard throughout my life,” he said.
He said he has an agenda, and he believes if he is elected, he will turn around the fortunes of the cosmopolitan region.
“In the 2013 General Election, the electorate were not yet conversant with the roles of a county government and now they are enlightened,” he said.
“That is why I came up with the ‘Agenda ni Sita’ manifesto as a transformation agenda for Uasin Gishu County. This is what I have been selling to wananchi.”
This agenda involves agriculture, trade and investment, health services, infrastructure, education and empowerment programmes.
For his part Mr Kositany, among the founders of UDA, blames his competitors for campaigning against him and saying he will be given a direct ticket.
“People have been going around selling fear to the electorate that I am a sacred cow in the UDA and thus I will be handed the ticket on a silver platter,” he told the Nation.
“When people sense defeat, they become cowardly and begin spreading propaganda. But I will not succumb, because I have a solid development agenda for the people of Uasin Gishu.”
He said his critics are hell-bent on discrediting his candidacy, and it will be tragic if voters take the bait.
“I have been on the campaign trail in a specific format and when critics do not see me mounting an entourage for campaigns, they begin to panic. I am happy the people know how to vote and will not yield to whims.”
He said he is using persuasion to win the hearts of voters, promising to introduce a “bottom-up” approach in tackling issues affecting them.
If elected governor, he said, he would prioritise poverty alleviation, revolutionise agriculture and improve health care.
Mr Bii, on the other hand, laments that his competitors are projecting him as a Kanu mole. He defected from the independence party after losing the Soy MP seat to Mr Kositany in the 2017 elections.
“People know that I defected from Kanu, but to use it while we are campaigning for the UDA party ticket is pure malice. My loyalty to UDA is unwavering and I will soldier on, since I am optimistic of clinching the ticket in the upcoming nominations,” said the aspirant known locally as Koti Moja.
He said his competitors also disparaged him as owning only one coat, hence the name Koti Moja, and suggesting that he does not deserve to be elected.
“Koti Moja has since become my tagline and it is echoing well with ordinary voters,” he said.
“I am not flashy compared with my opponents who run (expensive campaigns). My humble beginnings were despised, but at the moment I am giving them a run for their money.”
But just like his competitors, Mr Bii promises to transform health, agriculture and basic education and empower young people.
