UDA primaries: Party collects Sh3.8m from aggrieved aspirants

Deputy President William Ruto's United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has collected over Sh3.8 million from the 115 aspirants who were dissatisfied with its April 14 countrywide nominations.

The money is from complaints lodged by aspirants for 94 MCA, 15 MP, two senator (Uasin Gishu and Embu), two governor (Uasin Gishu and Kajiado) and one woman representative seats.

The party's Elections Dispute Resolution Committee started registering complaints a day after the countrywide voting that was marred by low voter turnout in some areas.

Aspirants are required to pay Sh20,000 (MCA), Sh100,000 (MP and senator) and Sh200,000 (governor) in order to be heard by the committee.

Committee chairman Emmanuel Mumia said 24 of the MCA results received had been nullified, 34 dismissed and a recount ordered in four county assembly races.

"For the MP position, one has been upheld and another dismissed. The rest of the matters are being dealt with and we undertake to complete [hearings] by Thursday, April 21," Mr Mumia said in a press briefing at the Hustler Centre on Monday.

The party urged those dissatisfied with the committee's decisions to take necessary lawful action through the appellate processes provided by the law.

The committee has established three courts to hear the disputes.

One such court has nullified the outcome of nominations for the Naivasha MP’s seat in favour of the incumbent Jayne Kihara, who the court found won against her closest opponent, John Kahanja Kihagi, by one vote.

The committee found that the results from polling stations showed Ms Kihara won 9,852 votes and Ms Kihagi 9,824.

But these excluded votes from the Milimani Secondary and Maua Primary polling stations, where Ms Kihara received 23 and 57 votes, respectively, to win by 9,904 as her competitor bagged 16 and 35 votes, respectively, to lose by 9,903.

Meanwhile, more UDA aspirants who lost in the nominations have described the voting as shambolic and full of irregularities.

A number of the aggrieved have since resigned from the party to vie as independent candidates in the August 9 elections.

They include Thika Town MP Patrick Wainaina Wa Jungle, who will seek the Kiambu governor’s seat as an independent candidate after losing to Kiambu Senator Kimani Wamatangi, who garnered 86,020 votes.

Mr Wainaina received 57,568 votes.

Kiambu Woman Representative aspirant Loise Kimani will also go to the ballot as an independent candidate after losing to Anne Wanjiku Muratha.

In Uasin Gishu, gubernatorial aspirant Julius Bitok called for the total rejection of the primary results in the county, claiming that voting was marred by irregularities.

More losers are expected to communicate their way forward this week.

In the meantime, UDA has stated that all winners were awarded interim certificates to allow the committee to resolve the disputes arising from polling.