A section of members of the minority communities in Uasin Gishu County is now threatening to quit the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) over what they claim is a lack of their representation.
The group led by lawyer Kimani Wanjohi lament that despite UDA being a national party, the local leadership is composed only of one dominant community, locking out the minority.
In a media briefing in Eldoret town, the minority communities that also included members of the business community in Eldoret town said unless they have a representation in UDA at the county level, they will be forced to direct their support to another party willing to accommodate them.
“Previously we never had a representation in the Jubilee party, and we are sensing a repeat of the same in UDA. Today, even in their meetings the discussion can at times be done in the mother tongue, and as the business community and members of minority communities in Uasin Gishu, if we can’t get our position, we will form or join a party that will listen to us,” said Wanjohi.
The group lamented that unequal representation in major political parties in the county has led to a shrink of the number of elected leaders from the minority communities.
It notes that prior to 2013, there were over 10 elected councilors from the minority communities in the county, which has since dropped to only two currently.
“We were not given even nomination slots despite fully supporting the ruling party. We only had one slot. The County Executive Committee Members (CECMs), only one is from the minority community yet the constitution requires at least 30 percent,” noted the lawyer.
As the 2022 general election draws near, the minority communities and business community now say they will be seeking to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with gubernatorial aspirants that will be ready to push for their interests.
They noted that so far, they have not settled on any aspirant that they will be supporting, challenging those that have expressed interest to consider picking a running mate from the minority communities to boost their chances of winning the seat.
“We have the numbers and a governor aspirant ready to give us a deputy governor slot from any of the minority communities in this county we will support him. It is not something new, it has been done in Trans Nzoia, Nakuru, and Kajiado,” said Wanjohi who was accompanied by members of the business community and other minority communitiees living in Uasin Gishu.
Uasin Gishu is a largely cosmopolitan county, but Kalenjin is the dominant community with the minority communities also commanding about 40 percent of the total registered voters, as par the 2017 general election.
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