Ainabkoi Member of Parliament William Chepkut has wished success to all aspirants eyeing the seat on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
The party under the leadership of Deputy President William Ruto is expected to conduct a nomination exercise on April 14, 2022, to determine who will fly its flag for various seats, including Ainabkoi Constituency.
And with Chepkut opting to seek re-election as an independent candidate, he says he is waiting for the winner in the UDA nomination so that they face off in an ideological contest.
He notes that only the people will decide whether he gets another term in office or not.
“Wishing UDA contestants in Ainabkoi and Uasin-Gishu success in their faceoff this week. May the best among my brothers and Sisters win. I am waiting on the sidelines to engage in an ideological contest. The contest that Wananchi Will decide,” the MP tweeted.
Chepkut, a former aide to the late powerful minister Nicholas Biwott, is serving in parliament for the first time, after he was elected in 2017, where he vied as an independent candidate.
The MP had sought to fly the Jubilee party ticket but controversially lost the nomination to the then MP Samuel Chepkonga – after a repeat of the party election in Munyaka Primary School, one of the populous polling stations.
Chepkut would later vie as an independent candidate and won in the general election.
His absence from the UDA nomination gives room for either the former MP or a new entrant to get the ticket.
The Ainabkoi parliamentary seat has attracted several aspirants eyeing the UDA ticket among them Chepkonga, the current Uasin Gishu Deputy Governor Daniel Chemno, 35-year-old Chris Muktain, Dr. Mark Korir, and Terry Chebet Maina who is the Kenya Girl Guides Association chairperson.