Youthful lawyer Oliver Kipchumba Karori now says he is not among the individuals seeking to be the next Uasin Gishu County Assembly Speaker.
Karori who has made a name for himself for regular appearance on various television platforms to discuss political issues in the county had been thought to be among front runners for the seat that was held by Soy Member of Parliament-elect David Kiplagat.
But in a post shared on his official Twitter handle, the advocate at the High Court said he was not yet available for the seat.
He however appreciated the people of Uasin Gishu for believing in his abilities to lead the legislative arm of the county government.
“On the matter of Uasin Gishu County Speaker. I appreciate the believe you have in me to serve in that position, it is a vote of confidence that I don’t take for granted,” he tweeted on August 25, 2022.
“But sadly at the moment am not available to take up this enormous task of shepherding the Uasin Gishu County A,” he added.
In the just concluded general election, Karori had expressed interest for the Uasin Gishu Senate seat.
However, he lost to the now Senator-elect Jackson Mandago during the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominations.
He would later dispute Mandago’s win and filed a petition at the party’s Disputes Resolution Committee. Later he endorsed the then governor’s candidature.
And when he shook hands with Mandago, word was that he was promised the Assembly speaker – but with his latest statement, it seems there was no such deal.
Race narrowed to 5 people
With the self-disqualification of Karori, the race now narrows down to five individuals.
They include former Speaker Isaac Terer, lawyer Christopher Chemitei and advocate Ruth Chelashaw, currently the Uasin Gishu Lands Chief Officer.
Former MCAs Josephat Lowoi (Karuna/Meibeki) and David Sing’oei (Ng’enyilel) are also said to be eyeing the second powerful position at the county level.
Lowoi who served as the assembly leader of the majority since 2013 lost during the UDA primaries while Sing’oei failed at the nomination level in his gubernatorial bid.
The 30 elected MCAs of Uasin Gishu and 14 nominated MCAs expected to be gazetted soon will hold their first session on September 6, 2022.
It is during this session that the MCAs will be sworn in after which their first business of the day will be to elect a new Speaker.
