Deputy President William Ruto faces a tough test as the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) prepares for its primaries on April 14 in what would pose a logistical and political nightmare.
While other parties have staggered their primaries to avoid any problems, UDA will conduct nominations from civic to senatorial races in a single day.
The Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) led by Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance flagbearer Raila Odinga will use all the available dates, between April 1 and April 21, to pick its candidates.
UDA aspirants will compete for the party’s ticket in 12 governor contests, 19 Senate races, 27 for Woman Representative, 128 single constituency Member of Parliament races and 892 of the 1,450 wards contests on Thursday next week.
UDA plans to hire at least 100,000 clerks who will be trained on April 11 and April 12.
“We procured 30 million ballot papers and are bringing in the 15 million which are still outstanding in the next three days so that we’re ready by the weekend. We will ensure that there will be free, fair and democratic nominations on Thursday next week. Necessary arrangements have been made. I have been personally supervising that exercise for the last two days,” Dr Ruto said yesterday.
They will be the last staff to be hired, as the party has already recruited 47 returning officers to be in charge of every county.
This week, the party will hire presiding officers, before their training on Friday and Saturday.
“We have also written to 17 ambassadors of different countries, and we are currently doing accreditation for them and media houses too,” said UDA National Elections Board (NEB) chairman Anthony Mwaura yesterday.
“The NEB will write to all diplomats inviting them to be part of our historic journey by observing our primaries. We believe in a free and fair nomination and we want to demonstrate it to the world,” he told the Nation.
DP Ruto’s party is also planning to print its ballot papers with the photos of aspirants on them for all the six elective positions to curb manipulation and avoid borrowing ballot boxes from the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
“We are not borrowing ballot boxes from IEBC. The party will have transparent ballot boxes with seals. Ballot papers will have photos of aspirants,” said Mr Mwaura.
Holding nominations in a single day harks back to the botched Jubilee Party primaries in 2017. The exercise had to be cancelled following a logistical failure as the party failed to deliver enough ballot papers.
President Kenyatta ordered a repeat of the nominations and tasked Dr Ruto, then deputy party leader, to manage them.
The second exercise was marred by complaints that the DP used it to lock out key candidates, among them then-Kiambu Governor William Kabogo, MPs Kabando wa Kabando (Mukurweini) and Ndungu Gethenji (Tetu). UDA has 6.9 million registered members.
More worrying is the fact that, before putting structures in place, the party tasked incumbents with registration of members.
Since only registered members can participate in primaries, sitting MPs used it to their advantage.
During his thanksgiving event in Thika in February, Chama Cha Kazi (CCK) leader Moses Kuria alleged that several aspirants were rigged out during the 2017 primaries.
“Will there be anyone to fight for a UDA ticket with Alice Wahome in Kandara, Ndindi Nyoro in Kiharu, Rigathi Gachagua in Mathira or Kimani Ichungw’a in Kikuyu? Will other aspirants get fair nominations?” Mr Kuria posed.
“It is the irreducible minimum that any member can ask of this party. If they have political aspirations, they must have the space, rights and fairness to compete in on a level playing field,” Dr Ruto said when he met aspirants in Karen.
“That does not mean that everybody will win. Some will lose, but those winning must do so fairly. We’ve had experience of unfairness in the past but that’s the nature of politics. We want to build a national party on the basis of fairness. You need not have a godfather to excel.”
He said the manner in which the party primaries will be conducted will determine the future of the party.
“The party leader has given his undertaking that the nominations will be free and fair. The party has no preferred aspirants and it has not set aside any direct tickets. All aspirants will face Wanjiku’s verdict on nomination day,” he said.
“All aspirants will be given equal opportunities to participate. We are, however, encouraging consensus among aspirants who come from the same region,” he added.
Mr Mwaura, however, said that despite working with Mr Musalia Mudavadi’s Amani National Congress (ANC), Ford-Kenya of Moses Wetang’ula, former Cabinet Secretary Mwangi Kiunjuri’s The Service Party (TSP) and Tujibebe Wakenya Party of William Kabogo, UDA will not entertain the idea.
Fears of nomination favourites clouding the UDA primaries began immediately the DP endorsed Senator Irungu Kang’ata for the Murang’a gubernatorial seat, Nakuru Senator Susan Kihika also for the governorship, and Mr Edward Muriu for the Gatanga parliamentary seat.
Dr Kang’ata yesterday said they are only endorsing individuals who are not facing any opponents in the same party.
“There are seats that do not have intra-coalition competition. Like in Nakuru, only Susan [Ms Kihika] has expressed interest to vie on a UDA ticket. In Kandara, only Alice [Wahome] has expressed interest to vie on a UDA ticket,” he said.
