The UDA nominations are over and voters now have a clear picture of who will be vying for which seat in the August 9 poll.
There were winners and losers in the nominations – and for some reason, some of the nomination losers have opted to go independent.
In Uasin Gishu for example, Senate aspirant losers Kipchumba Karori and Robert Arap Kemei have all opted to vie for the seat as independent candidates.
Pauline Tuwei, a former Simat/Kapseret MCA who finished second in the Kapseret Member of Parliament UDA nomination has also gone independent, with more nomination losers likely to go the same route.
But what is the impact of the aspirants going independent, especially in areas considered Deputy President William Ruto’s strongholds?
There are positives and negatives in this situation.
The benefit of DP Ruto in having many independent candidates in his strongholds is that it will ensure more voter turnout on voting day.
UDA nominations might not have been entirely fair, and some voters who feel their candidate was robbed could not have had the enthusiasm to go to the poll.
But if their favorite candidate goes independent, it gives them a reason to go and vote – in believing they can help them win.
This means a higher voter turnout, which at the end of the day benefits the DP.
There is however a bad side to having candidates ditch UDA for independent.
As much as they will help the DP get maximum votes in his strongholds, it might at the end of the day have a negative impact on his numbers in National Assembly, Senate, and County Assemblies.
There is a high likelihood that many of the independent candidates will win in the August 9 poll, at the expense of UDA candidates.
The challenge with politicians elected as independent candidates is that they have no obligation to tore any party line – this means, should DP Ruto win the presidency and be short of MPs or Senators, it might be a costly affair to convince the independents to support his agenda.
As much as those going independent might say they support the DP, once they win an elective seat, it becomes a different situation.
The only hope here is that the independent candidate helps Ruto get maximum votes, but does not have a negative effect on his numbers in Parliament.
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