Five to battle it out for the UDA ticket in Nandi governor’s race
Former Nandi Governor Dr Cleophas Lagat and Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo address a rally in Kapsabet on Tuesday after announcing their Nandi Kwanza Alliance. The two have joined forces in their gubernatorial bid.
A political showdown is looming in Nandi County, where five aspirants eyeing the governor’s seat will battle it out for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket in primaries set to kick off in a two weeks’ time.
Those seeking to unseat Deputy President William Ruto’s ally, Governor Stephen Sang, include former minister Henry Kosgey’s eldest son Allan Kosgey, former governor Cleophas Lagat, former MP Elijah Lagat and Mr Antipas Tirop, a Kenya Pipeline top manager.
The race for the seat has intensified after the former governor and Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo, who was also in the race, came together to form a coalition ahead of the party primaries.
Nandi Kwanza Alliance
Former Nandi Governor Dr Cleophas Lagat and Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo havejoined forces in their gubernatorial bid. They have announced their new Nandi Kwanza Alliance, with Mr Kiptoo settling for the running mate's position in their pre-election political pact.
The duo inked a pre-election pact, with the County Assembly Speaker ceded the contest to settle for the running mate position that will see him deputize Dr Lagat should they clinch the top seat.
Until the other day, the County Assembly Speaker was also a contender for the seat, and was also eyeing the UDA ticket.
With the new alliance, the race has now narrowed down to the three political heavyweights- Governor Sang, Dr Lagat and Mr Kosgey, seen to be the frontrunners for the seat.
Dubbed the Nandi Kwanza Alliance, the Lagat-Kiptoo coalition was unveiled at a two-hour political rally attended by the delegations from Chesumei, Mosop, Tindiret, Emgwen, Aldai and Nandi hills, where the duo was unanimously endorsed by their supporters, less than two weeks to the UDA nominations.
“We are going to rewrite the history of Nandi County by forming an inclusive government that will consider the development interests of residents. This will be the only development oriented government and we are looking forward to winning the party primaries,” Dr. Lagat said as he addressed a rally in Kapsabet.
Tycoons in the county recently threw their weight behind Mr Kosgey, a Nairobi-based lawyer.
The gubernatorial campaigns have also roped in influential church leaders in the region, who want to influence the county’s political agenda.
Come back
Dr Lagat will attempt to make a political comeback after suffering a humiliating defeat in the Jubilee nominations that preceded the 2017 General Election, with the ticket going to Mr Sang, who ultimately won.
The UDA primaries will be a tough contest in the Rift Valley region, where whoever clinches the ticket will be many steps closer to winning the elections.
Dr Lagat has gone flat out in his campaigns, accusing his successor of failing to deliver on the expectations of the electorate.
If Nandi residents give him another chance, he promises to reclaim the county and complete the projects he had started that have stalled.
His political come-back has gained political traction, unlike when he lost to Governor Sang in 2017, where his administration was accused of failing to deliver up to the electorates’ expectations.
He has defended himself and dismissed graft allegations that marred his government, claiming that his rivals then employed political smearing antics to hoodwink the voters.
“My track record can be seen and some of the projects I had started were abandoned. It is my intention to come back and complete them if you give me a chance,” he stated.
Before he entered the pact with Dr. Lagat, Mr Kiptoo, the county assembly Speaker, another political archrival of Mr Sang had presented himself as the ‘problem fixer,’ promising to correct the ‘mess’ caused by the current administration.
Friend turned foe
The youthful politician, a lawyer by profession, was previously Governor Sang's ally. It is claimed that it is Mr Sang who prevailed upon Nandi MCAs to elect him Speaker in 2017. It is still unclear why the duo fell out.
Their bitter split has seen them engage in public spats, with Governor Sang once quoted accusing Speaker Kiptoo of derailing his development agenda over corruption claims and alleged intimidation of his county executives.
Mr Elijah Lagat, the former Chesumei MP, after losing the seat in 2017 to his successor Mr Wilson Kogo, is now warming up for the bigger office. Buoyed by his two-term development record as MP of Chesumei (formerly Emgwen constituency), he claims to be the best bet for the Nandi governor’s seat.
Critics
Nandi MPs, including Alfred Keter (Nandi Hills), Cornelly Serem (Aldai), Julius Meli (Tinderet) and Vincent Tuwei (Mosop) have been tough critics of Governor Sang’s administration for the past four years.
Nandi Governor Stephen Sang at a past event.
Governor Sang, however, has a significant following among ward reps, who may come in handy for him in mobilising voters ahead of the UDA primaries.
But Mr Keter has accused Mr Sang of isolating county leaders and instead used every opportunity to attack them whenever the Deputy President visited the county.
Governor Sang has claimed that the county MPs have colluded with land grabbers and cartels to commit land injustices, calling for resettlement of squatters.
“I have been victimised several times for standing with the underprivileged groups. It is the reason they fight me over fictitious graft allegations. But I won’t be cowed nor retreat from championing the people’s rights,” Mr Sang said.
He has also accused his opponents of threatening to sack county employees if they are elected ostensibly to cut the county’s wage bill.
“We know what those funding my rivals are up to. They want to protect the historical impunities meted on the locals during the colonial government. And they are not comfortable with my agenda to address the longstanding land and tea issues,” he said.
