Deputy President William Ruto has rallied voters in his North Rift political base to vote for candidates vying for various seats on a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) ticket.
DP Ruto while addressing multiple rallies in the region on Monday, July 25, 2022, asked the locals to reject independent candidates.
His visit came at a time there have been growing concerns that independent candidates were staging spirited campaigns that are threatening some UDA candidates in the region.
The DP’s visit to the region started in the Nandi Hills constituency, where incumbent Member of Parliament, Alfred Keter is facing UDA’s Bernard Kitur.
Keter is seeking a third term as an independent candidate.
Speaking mostly in his native language, the UDA party leader rallied locals to reject Keter, and instead vote for Kitur.
“All over the country from Eastern, Coast, Ukambani and Central, Kenyans are voting for UDA candidates, why should it be only here that you will vote for an independent?” the UDA presidential candidate asked the locals.
It was the same message that DP Ruto gave to locals in Kesses Constituency.
In the constituency, UDA’s CPA Julius Ruto is up against incumbent MP Dr Swarup Mishra.
Dr Mishra is seeking a second term as an independent candidate, but the DP says it is time locals supported a candidate allied to his bottom-up economic agenda.
Even though the legislator has mounted an expensive re-election bid, the second in command says that should not be the reason locals vote for him.
The DP also asked Uasin Gishu voters to support UDA gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Bii Chelilim alias Koti Moja.
Koja Moja is battling billionaire businessman Zedekiah Kiprop Bundotich Buzeki, an independent candidate.
Later in the day, the Kenya Kwanza brigade headed to Moiben, another constituency where a UDA candidate is facing stiff competition from an incumbent MP Silas Tiren.
Tiren is seeking a third term, vying on an independent ticket.
He is facing UDA’s, Prof. Phylis Bartoo.
