Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere survives UDA wave in Mt Kenya

Sarah Korere

Ms Sarah Korere of Jubilee Party who is poised to retain her seat as Laikipia North MP.  She is among the few who withstood the UDA wave in Mt Kenya Region to win a seat under the Azimio la Umoja-One Kenya Alliance.

Photo credit: Mwangi Ndirangu I Nation Media Group

Laikipia North MP Sarah Korere took a decisive early lead after garnering 7,627 votes from a total of 82 polling centres tallied by 5pm Wednesday.

With results from 49 polling centres remaining before the conclusion of the exercise, Ms Korere who contested on Jubilee Party ticket had widened her win margin and was expected to floor six candidates, all of them men who were determined to make her a onetime elected MP.

She had bagged 53 percent of the votes tallied with the other candidates sharing the spoils.

Lempurkel third

Her closest competitor Mr Maina Munene of United Democratic Alliance (UDA) had managed 3,124 while Ms Korere’s predecessor Mr Mathew Lempurkel was at third position with 2,683.

Not only did Ms Korere, a former teacher, overcome the wave of UDA in Mt Kenya region but she was commanding an undisputed lead which was not likely to be greatly altered even when results from the remaining 49 polling stations were factored in.

The constituency has a total of 131 polling centres and 47,752 registered voters spread across four wards. The final announcement on the winners was expected to be made later on Wednesday evening.

Ahead of the polls, it was expected that UDA candidates would triumph in central Kenya and indeed it happened across the region where Laikipia Governor Ndiritu Muriithi was among the casualties who fell on the wayside for daring to go against the UDA wave.

But since severing her association with Deputy President William Ruto and joining Mr Raila Odinga led Azimio la Umoja Alliance, Ms Korere has been campaigning aggressively among the more than 20 ethnic communities in the constituency.

Development record

She was won the hearts of diverse communities and going by the outcome of the polls, the voters in this case opted to go for individual development record instead of following the region’s popular party.

The MP is credited with promoting harmonious coexistence between the pastoralist and farming community with cases of livestock theft and conflicts between herders and farmers minimized during her term as the area MP.

Ms Korere also managed to convince her supporters to vote for Mr Odinga who was ahead of Dr Ruto in the constituency tally going by the results announced by the Constituency Returning Officer John Kahuro by midday.

Until recently, Ms Korere was a harsh critic of Mr Odinga and always pledged allegiance to Dr Ruto who first nominated her to Parliament in 2013. 

Ms Korere was nominated for the first time to Parliament by the United Republican Party.