The race for the Nandi gubernatorial seat in the upcoming election took a new twist early this week when two of the aspirants announced a joint ticket.
Former governor Cleophas Lagat and the current Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo said they would be teaming up for the seat under the alliance tagged ‘Nandi Kwanza’.
The duo said they had signed an agreement that will see Lagat as the gubernatorial candidate and Kiptoo as his running mate.
Asked as to why he opted to team up with the former governor, the youthful politician said, the decision was reached after listening to the people.
He expressed optimism that the Nandi Kwanza team will help solve problems that the county has been facing under the current leadership of Governor Stephen Sang.
Sang who beat Lagat in the 2017 poll is seeking re-election. They are both eyeing the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket whose nominations have been set for April 14, 2022.
“I listened to the voice of the people and decided to form a coalition with the former governor in his bid to recapture the seat so that we can transform the county which is facing serious problems in terms of delivery of services to the people at the grass-root,” said Kiptoo.
Lagat, formerly the Eldoret National Polytechnic Chief Principal said he is seeking to recapture the seat so that he completes projects he initiated during his first term that ran from 2013 to 2017.
He lamented that his successor had ignored all the projects he left, which have since stalled.
“The current county administration has done a lot of disservice to the people of Nandi county by refusing to complete all the flagship projects I started and yet they were not mine but for the community,” said Lagat.
“I will not start any new development projects once I assume office but I will instead complete pending projects to save taxpayers money on non-viable projects,” he added.
The Cleophas Lagat-Joshua Kiptoo team will be facing off with Stephen Sang who has not yet announced whether he will stick with his deputy Dr. Yulita Chebotip Cheruiyot or not as well as youthful Emgwen MP Allan Kosgey who is also the son of former long-serving Kanu era cabinet minister Henry Kosgey in the UDA nomination.
Whoever clinches the UDA ticket will be almost assured of a win in the August 9 poll, based on the fact that Nandi County is one of the party’s strongholds.
[…] recently teamed up with the Nandi County Assembly Speaker Joshua Kiptoo under the Nandi Kwanza Alliance which he hopes will help him clinch the UDA gubernatorial […]