United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has cancelled nominations for Kamkunji, Embakasi East and Starehe Constituencies in Nairobi and instead initiated opinion polls to settle on suitable candidates.
The party has also stopped its planned joint nominations with Amani National Alliance (ANC), an affiliate party in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, in Dagoretti North and Mathare
In the two constituencies, the parties have agreed on using opinion polls to identify candidates, according to UDA National Elections Board (NEB).
“The National Elections Board wishes to notify the public that after consultations between UDA and ANC, there will be no joint nominations for Dagoretti North and Mathare Constituencies. Instead, alternative methods will be used to identify nominees. This, therefore, means that there will be no universal suffrage nominations between the coalition partners as earlier communicated,” said the board's chairperson Anthony Mwaura.
“The board also clarifies that there will be no nominations for Embakasi East and Kamkunji constituencies under UDA using universal suffrage. Instead, alternative methods as provided by the party constitution will be applied," Mr Mwaura added.
This means that only Roysambu Constituency and the 19 wards in Nairobi will have the nominations on Wednesday.
According to Mr Mwaura, both Starehe MP Charles Njagua and his fiercest opponent East African Legislative Assembly (EALA) Simon Mbugua have agreed on use of opinion polls and they signed a commitment to accept the outcome of the polls witnessed by the NEB chairperson and UDA Secretary General Veronica Maina.
In a move to avert further fallouts in the party, UDA party leader, Deputy President William Ruto , will next week meet both winners and losers in the nominations to agree on how to hold together ahead of August General Election.
“Deputy President has talked to most of those people who lost and next week we are planning to meet all the aspirants who participated in our elections to map out the way forward," said Mr Mwaura.
UDA chairperson Johnston Muthama said: “We have agreed that we clear all the issues of nominations then we have a meeting with all the UDA winners and losers in the primaries.”
In the case where UDA and ANC were to hold joint nominations, Mr Mwaura says that both party leaders have struck a deal for the aspirants to go opinion poll way.
“They are going to sign commitments that they are going to honour the opinion polls so whoever will top, will be supported by all the others,” he said.
Before UDA kicked off its primaries, there was division pertaining to whether the party should hire a pollster who will conduct research that will help in determining popular candidate especially in areas where competition might be very stiff.
Recently, when former South Mugirangoc MP, Omingo Magara, resigned as UDA national treasurer citing lack of democracy, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi, who is believed to have the party leader's ear, disclosed that Mr Magara had refused to go the polls way to establish who was more popular between him and Nyaribari Masaba MP Ezekiel Machogu as pertaining to the Kisii gubernatorial race.
“It is not about democracy in UDA but it is about your greed and failure to enhance democracy within the party. You wanted to be given a direct ticket which is against our party norms. You denied the party a chance to conduct opinion polls,” said Mr Sudi.
Mr Muthama corroborated Mr Sudi's sentiments that the party was likely to use polls in certain areas where universal suffrage and consensus will not work out.
According to Mr Muthama, even though the party intended to do so, the process had not started but it would be applied in regions where results will be disputed.
“As a democratic way of nominating the candidates. Option number one is where electorates are given the power to nominate a candidate through voting process. Option two, where there is dispute, then we go through opinion polls. Three, if one and two does not work, then we go to consensus then one of the three will give us a solution,” he explained.
His sentiment was also echoed by Kimilili MP Didmus Barasa, a pioneer member of UDA, who disclosed that there are secret polls being conducted fortnightly.
“Opinion polls is part of our election management regulations. In some areas we will do scientific surveys to see who is popular. We do those polls every two weeks across the country because you cannot do it now then make use. Ours is very robust,” said Mr Barasa.
However, Ms Maina had told the Nation that as long as presidential nomination did not use polls, it will not be used in the upcoming primaries.
“Polls have their scientific role but they can only give you general guide and many times it will depend on the source. Our governance can never be determined by opinion polls however scientific they maybe. Democratic right must be weighed among many other things. Polls cannot override rights of aspirants. We must allow you to practice your democratic right," Ms Maina explained.
"We are not a point to say that it will be our determinant factor. Polls of today, might not be the same in future. It is not laid out in our Constitution and that is why you didn't see it in presidential nomination,” she added.
