UDA interviews: Ruto to face two rivals for presidential ticket

The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has invited Deputy President William Ruto and two other presidential aspirants for interviews on their suitability for the party’s ticket on Saturday ahead of the National Delegates Conference (NDC) that will pick the flagbearer.

The interviews will take place at Hustler Plaza, Nairobi, while the NDC is planned on Tuesday at Kasarani in Nairobi.  

It has emerged that Ms Tracy Wanjiru Kingoli and Mr Orina Jephnei Nyakwama had applied to be considered as UDA presidential hopefuls. 

The party’s closed receipt of applications from aspirants for President, governor, senator, National Assembly, woman rep and ward rep seats last Saturday and verification on Wednesday after receiving over 5,000 contenders.

Despite previous reports that only Dr Ruto had applied for the party’s presidential ticket, yesterday, UDA Secretary-General Veronica Maina revealed that there were two other applications.

In two letters addressed to DP Ruto and Ms Wanjiru, who presumably each paid the Sh1 million nomination fee, Ms Maina says they are required to carry national identification cards, a soft copy of a coloured passport sized photograph, proof of payment of nomination fees, original and copy academic certificates and updated resume.

Mr Orina, who had requested the party to waive presidential nomination fees ,has been requested to submit his petition on Saturday. 

The interviews will be taking place the same day ODM boss Raila Odinga will be unveiled as Azimio La Umoja’s presidential candidate during the coalition’s NDC at The Kenyatta International Convention Centre(KICC).

The party’s National Elections Board (NEB) has announced that it will hold its party nominations from April 9 to 16.

Party primaries

Earlier after jetting into the country on Wednesday from his 10-day tour of the United States and United Kingdom, the DP met with the NEB led by the board’s chairperson Anthony Mwaura and members Salome Beaco, Aurelia Rono, Ummi Bashir, Matiko Chacha, Raphael Chimera and Halake Dida to discuss the coming party primaries.

“Yes, we met our party leader this morning to discuss preparations of the nominations and the concluded verification of party’s aspirants,” Mr Mwaura told the Nation. The one-year-old party has pocketed over Sh350 million from its nomination fees.

UDA has received many of its contenders from Rift Valley, Mount Kenya, Eastern, Western and Nairobi with major towns like Nairobi, Mombasa and Nakuru having many aspirants. This comes even as the board rules out joint nominations with parties under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance (KKA), which brings tofgether UDA, Amani National Congress (ANC) of Musalia Mudavadi and Moses Wetang’ula’s Ford Kenya.

“There is no such plan for a joint nomination with other parties under Kenya Kwanza Alliance,” said Mr Mwaura.

Determined to right the mistakes of the ruling Jubilee Party where there were complaints that 2017 primaries were bungled, with popular aspirants being rigged out by those who took charge of the nominations, UDA has moved to quiet the jitters.

The party’s NEB has been moving around the country educating aspirants on what is required of them pertaining to the new law on primaries as it intends to use universal suffrage.

The amended Political Parties Act requires that those participating in nominations must be listed party members. It is a break from the past where any registered voter could participate in party primaries.

This requirement could catch by surprise aspirants who until now have not grasped the gravity of the new legal provision. Similarly, in a move to assure aspirants who have been asked to pay nomination fee before the February 28 deadline, the board assured aspirants that the party has no preferred candidates.

Mr Mwaura said: “The party leader, Deputy President William Ruto, has personally given his undertaking that the nominations will be free and fair. This means the party has no preferred aspirant and it has not set aside any direct ticket. All aspirants will face Wanjiku’s verdict on nominations day.”

Presidential elections

Mr Mwaura added that, to ensure that no one is short-changed after being declared the winner, the party will come up with interim certificates issued at the tallying centres before the board gives out the final one.

Meanwhile, KKA has promised to revive key economic projects in Coast region. The leaders accused President Kenyatta and Mr Odinga of neglecting the region and taking away port businesses from Mombasa, which was main economic backbone of the region.

Led by Senator Kithure Kindiki, the team also urged Wiper party Kalonzo Musyoka to join KKA.

“We have visited different areas of Coast region and we can see poverty since majority of people who have been depending on the port of Mombasa have been rendered jobless after the handshake team move port activities to Nairobi and Naivasha. Once Kenya Kwanza team takes over the leadership in August, we shall ensure justice is done by transferring port activities back to Mombasa,” said Prof Kindiki. 

His sentiments were echoed by Nyali MP Mohamed Ali, former Mombasa senator Hassan Omar and UDA chairman Johnstone Muthama. The team also asked DCI to investigate Mr Odinga over his recent “madoadoa” remarks, terming it hate speech.

“I am calling upon the DCI to summon, question and charge Raila over his reckless remarks the same way they did to Senator Mithika Linturi. The law should not be applied selectively,” Prof Kindiki said.

Mr Wetang’ula said KKA will win the presidential elections in the first round by 70 per cent of the vote. 

“We have prepared ourselves so that we win the elections. I want to ask all of you to vote on that day so that we have 70 per cent of the votes and not allow Raila to swear in himself, call for a demonstration or a handshake," Mr Wetang’ula said.

He was speaking in Lungalunga where KKA held a rally to celebrate the International Women’s Day. He said President Kenyatta should not dictate to Kenyans but instead let them choose the country’s next leader.

Additional reporting by Siago Cece and Brian Ocharo