UDA National Elections Board (NEB) Chairman Anthony Mwaura says the party has hired helicopters to transport ballot papers to areas where vehicles cannot access.
President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has embarked on an ambitious Sh104 million grassroots election in 22 counties starting Friday (April 11), which will culminate in a National Delegates Convention (NDC) in August to elect national officials.
In an exclusive interview with the Nation on Thursday, UDA National Elections Board (NEB) Chairman Anthony Mwaura said, “The whole budget is totalling Sh104 million for the 22 counties and includes the hiring of two choppers, boats and vehicles to ferry the election materials as well as paying the Returning Officers and those calibrating the gadgets for use.”
On Friday, the party resumes its phase 2 elections at the polling centre level in seven counties – Kitui, Makueni, Machakos, Kajiado, Taita Taveta, Kisii and Nyamira.
On Saturday, the elections will be conducted in 15 counties: Garissa, Tana River, Bungoma, Turkana, Migori, Kisumu, Siaya, Isiolo, Marsabit, Wajir, Madera, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi and Lamu.
Mr Mwaura said the two helicopters will serve areas experiencing the rains that vehicles cannot access.
“One helicopter will be stationed on the southern side [to serve] Kwale, Tana River and Lamu, and the other on the northern side [to serve] Turkana, Kisii, Nyamira and Migori.”
“In Tana River, we have even gotten some boats to take us there because there are polling stations that vehicles cannot access.”
At least 360,000 UDA members are contesting in the grassroots polls that will see some 104,000 elected as officials.
Some 20 officials will be elected at the polling centre level in the grassroots polls.
The party started its grassroots elections in April last year, but was forced to abandon the polls over June nationwide Gen Z protests after concluding the exercise in only two counties of Busia and Homa Bay out of the initial five that were scheduled in the first phase.
It had planned to conduct the exercise in Nairobi, Narok, Busia, West Pokot and Homa Bay in the first phase.
But constituency level elections in West Pokot were postponed over reports of possible violence while Nairobi and Narok were postponed following petitions challenging the credibility of the exercise.
Mr Mwaura noted that whereas there have been delays by the exchequer to disburse the political parties’ funds, “we managed to have some savings which we are using to conduct the elections as well as contributions from well-wishers.”
“The money we are spending is part of what we have saved from the exchequer because it’s the money we are supposed to spend in elections, and there are also well-wishers who have donated support even in kind,” the NEB chairman told Nation.
UDA will be resuming its elections after the removal of former Deputy Party Leader President Rigathi Gachagua who was impeached as deputy president in October last year. He was replaced by current DP Kithure Kindiki.
The polls also follow Prime Cabinet Secretary Musalia Mudavadi’s move to merge his Amani National Congress (ANC) party with the UDA.
Mr Mwaura said that all the 661,000 members of the defunct ANC party have been incorporated into the UDA party system as members and will be able to participate in the grassroots polls.
“We are now one and the same thing and ANC members have been captured in the election gadgets so all of them will participate in the exercise,” he said.
He said the ambitious exercise that is expected to breathe a new life in the party will be conducted in 5,237 polling stations across the 22 counties.
“We have hired more than 12,000 election officials including Returning Officers and two more people per polling station to operate the 9,800 election gadgets.”
In addition to the election officials, the party has also deployed at least two police officers in each of the polling stations to enhance security.
Mr Mwaura also announced that the rest of the counties (20) mainly in the UDA party strongholds of Rift Valley and Mt Kenya regions will be concluded in June before the August NDC to elect national officials.
Asked whether Mr Gachagua’s removal from the party as deputy leader after his impeachment as the DP had affected the party especially in Mt Kenya region, the UDA official downplayed the assertion.
He said contrary to perceptions, UDA party remains strong in the region.
“This was even witnessed during the recent tour of our party leader, President William Ruto to Mt Kenya region where he received a rousing welcome,” the UDA NEB chairman said.
He maintained that the party was not threatened by Mr Gachagua’s move to launch a new political party for the Mt Kenya region.
“He is free to launch his party. There are other parties that have existed but UDA still remains the most popular party not only in Mt Kenya but in the country as a whole.”
Mr Mwaura disclosed that after conducting its elections across the country, UDA delegates will converge to conduct the national party elections in all the positions including the party leader post held by president Ruto.
“All the positions at the national level will be contested including that of party leader and we are democratic enough so anybody seeking to lead the party or serve as deputy party leader will be free to vie,” Mr Mwaura said.
Following the UDA-ANC merger, some former ANC party officials have been included into the UDA leadership team, with former party leader – Lamu Governor Issa Timamy being named UDA second deputy party leader alongside deputy president Prof Kithure Kindiki.
In the new arrangement, former ANC National Chairman Kelvin Lunani was named UDA deputy chairperson while Emuhaya MP Omboko Milemba, secured deputy secretary general post in UDA.
Other officials are Hassan Omar (Secretary General), Cecily Mbarire (National chairperson), Japheth Nyakundi (National Treasurer) and Nicodemus Bore (Executive Director).
Mr Mwaura sounded a warning to candidates participating in today’s and tomorrow’s elections to ensure they uphold peace to avert possible violence, adding that anyone who will be found culpable for violence will face the full force of the law.
“We have a case where one individual was jailed by a Narok court for causing violence during the first phase of the elections and we don’t want to witness a repeat of the same,” the official said.
Apart from entering into a merger with ANC, UDA is currently cooperating with Raila Odinga’s Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) under the broad-based government framework.
The UDA elections have resumed just two days after ODM conclude its branch elections on Wednesday.
Mr Mwaura however, maintained that their elections have nothing to do with ODM, saying their timing was mere coincidence.
On Wednesday, Mr Mwaura flagged off poll materials dispatched to the 22 counties.
He called on all the participants to conduct themselves within the law.
"I wish to assure the candidates and other participants that the board will conduct free and fair grassroots elections. We also expect them to conduct themselves peacefully," he said.
