Uasin Gishu Gubernatorial Race Hots up as Kanu Rival Joins Jubilee

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Jonathan Bii. Recently joined Jubilee party from KANU

The race to succeed Uasin Gishu’s incumbent governor Jackson Mandago has taken a new pace after former Kanu politician in the county, Jonathan Bii commonly known as Chelilim declared his plans of ditching Kanu party for William Ruto’s Jubilee party.

The former Kanu politician while speaking to a local news media confirmed his resignation from Kanu to the party the Deputy President Wiliam Ruto will be using for his 2022 presidential bid.

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Buzeki together with Governor Mandago at a past function

The veteran politician who has been a member of the ruling party for 20 years had unsuccessfully ran for Eldoret North and Soy parliamentary seats in 2002, 2007, 2013 and 2017 respectively using the Kanu ticket.

 

He attributed the reasons for his failures to Kanu party which he termed as unpopular in the region forcing him to seek a competitive party which has the regions blessings ahead of his 2022 gubernatorial bid.

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Ambassador Julius Bitok is also on the race

“I have been in politics for the last twenty years using a party that was not favoured in the region, thus I failed in every parliamentary election. This time around, I am opting to something big in the county,” Bii said.

Chelilim’s announcement comes at a time when there is a major shift of political landscape in the county. Recently, business mogul and Mandago’s close rival in 2017 Bundotich Kiprop (Buzeki announced his resignation from Jubilee to CCM party.

Buzeki who was deemed as the most probable successor of Mandago shifted camps after alleging frustrations from Ruto’s allies in the process setting the county’s gubernatorial race so wide.

Analysts observe that Buzeki made a grave mistake by shifting to CCM terming the mogul’s chance of clinching the seat as Zero considering that residents of Uasin Gishu county have a history of certain voting patterns in every general election. Those who viewed in the past using the region’s kingpin William Ruto’s party stood a higher chance of being elected as opposed to those who ran on independent or ‘foreign’ considered parties.

Those who have already expressed interests for the county’s top seat among others include Kenya’s High Commissioner to Pakistan Ambassador Julius Bitok, the county’s speaker David Kiplagat, Buzeki and recently Jonathan Bii.

Kapseret member of parliament Oscar Sudi is also rumoured to be secretly strategizing himself to succeed Mandago. The outspoken MP recently came under heavy criticism from online and social media users for insinuating that Buzeki will not feature in the ballot box in 2022. Sudi attributed his reasons to Buzeki’s betrayals on Dp Ruto.

Little known Ainabkoi MP William Chepkut who has been a close campaigner of Buzeki has also made public his intentions to run for the governorship position in the county come 2022.

The first time MP who defied the odds to defeat former constitution and legal affairs chair Samuel Chepkong’a on an Independent ticket has vowed to engage the county residents and if given the opportunity will go for the top seat come 2022.

 

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