The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has cleared four candidates that will be facing off in the August 9 poll for the position of Soy Member of Parliament.
The four will be seeking to take over from the current MP Caleb Kositany whose bid to be the governor of Uasin Gishu failed at the UDA nominations.
Among those that have been cleared is the current Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker David Kiplagat.
Kiplagat who has been serving as the County Assembly Speaker since the 2017 general election won the UDA nominations and will fly the party’s ticket.
Another candidate also cleared is Dr. Elias Melly, who lost in the UDA nominations to Kiplagat.
Dr. Melly who is the founder of Alexandria groups of Hospitals rejected calls to drop his bid in favor of the UDA nominee.
He is vying for the seat as an independent candidate.
Martim Kan William, a candidate for the Chama cha Mashinani Party (CCM) was also cleared to vie for the seat.
CCM is led by former Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto, who is supporting Deputy President William Ruto’s presidential bid under the Kenya Kwanza Alliance.
Another candidate in the race to be the next Soy MP is Stephen Kipkosgei Ronoh of the National Vision Party (NVP).
Soy is one of the six constituencies in Uasin Gishu County created ahead of the 2013 general elections after the split of the previous three constituencies of Eldoret North, Eldoret South, and Eldoret East.
Its first MP was Edwin Barchiley who was elected on the then United Republican Party (URP) before he lost to Kositany in 2017.
Number of registered voters in Soy Constituency
The constituency has 81,867 registered voters (as per April 1, 2022, IEBC data) spread across 7 wards.
Here is a breakdown of voters per ward in the Soy constituency;
- Moi’s Bridge – 11,817 registered voters
- Kapkures – 8,060 registered voters
- Ziwa – 15,298 registered voters
- Segero/Barsombe – 11,894 registered voters
- Kipsomba – 8,702 registered voters
- Soy – 9,933 registered voters
- Kuinet/Kapsuswa – 16,163 registered voters
