Governor Jackson Mandago has cautioned Uasin Gishu voters against picking an independent candidate as his successor in the upcoming general election.
Mandago, vying for the Uasin Gishu Senate seat, on a UDA ticket, notes that for any tangible development to be witnessed in the next Uasin Gishu County Government, they need to vote for a UDA candidate.
Jonathan Bii Chelilim alias Koti Moja is the UDA gubernatorial candidate in the county.
The seat has attracted three candidates who also include billionaire businessman Bundotich Zedekiah Buzeki, an independent and Mwalimu William Kirwa, vying on the United Democratic Movement (UDM) ticket.
Many however believe it is a two-horse race between Koti Moja and Buzeki.
But according to Mandago, UDA’s Koti Moja is the best bet for Uasin Gishu locals.
“Kiti ya ugavana, mkitaka maendeleo iende shwari, pigieni koti moja,” Mandago said during a UDA/Kenya Kwanza rally in Kesses Constituency on Tuesday, July 19, 2022.
Buzeki vs Koti Moja
He argues that a majority of Members of County Assemblies (MCAs) that will be elected in the upcoming general election in Uasin Gishu will be from the UDA party, and that, it will be almost impossible for an independent governor to deliver.
“Mkichagua gavana independent, hakutakua na maendeleo. Gavana hawezi fanya maendeleo kabla County Assembly iipitishe budget na mipango ingine ya maendeleo,” Mandago, who has served for two terms since 2013, said.
He gave an example of the wrangles between the Makueni Governor Kivuta Kibwana and the MCAs, which almost led to the dissolution of the county.
Buzeki has in the past said it will not be a problem for him to be elected a governor as an independent candidate, yet a majority of the MCAs are from UDA.
He noted that his focus will be service delivery, a target he hopes will also be for the elected MCAs.
Uasin Gishu being home to Deputy President William Ruto, there have been intensified calls for locals to vote for UDA candidates only.
Mandago has been leading the county UDA team in popularizing the six-piece voting pattern.
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They have in the past few weeks adopted a format where all the UDA candidates campaign as a team, moving from one constituency to another, also drumming up support for Deputy President William Ruto’s state house bid.
