The race for the next Uasin Gishu Senator has taken a new twist.
This is after lawyer Oliver Kipchumba Karori announced that he will be vying for the seat as an Independent candidate.
Karori, who finished second in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) nominations, had bowed out of the race last week after Uasin Gishu Governor Jackson Mandago said he had agreed to work with him.
“We have amicably agreed to work as a team for a better Uasin Gishu. We invite our supporters to join us and work together as one United Democratic Alliance (UDA) formidable team. “Usiweke Siasa kwa roho, weka kwa lungs”,” Mandago posted on his official social media pages.
But days later, Karori seemed to have changed his mind, announcing that he was back in the race.
In a post on his Facebook page, the lawyer said, “Uasin Gishu am back! Alama ni cousin ya WHEELBARROW.”
The announcement come barely a day after broadcaster Robert Arap Kemei said he would vie for the seat as an independent candidate.
Arap Kemei accused Karori of “auctioning the will of the people”, after agreeing to team up with Mandago.
“Having raised our concerns to the party and giving them enough evidences, the initiator went to bed with the oppressor by auctioning the will of the people to the highest bidder,” the former Kass FM Presenter said.
Both Karori and Arap Kemei claimed the governor used county staff to rig the UDA nominations, and Karori filed a case before the UDA Elections and Nominations Dispute Resolutions Committee.
The matter was however thrown out for lack of merit.
Mandago was declared the winner of the Senate seat UDA nomination after garnering 63,167 votes. Karori had 45,347 votes while Arap Kemei garnered 23,957 votes.
Karori’s entry in the race means there will be at least three candidates vying against Mandago as independent candidates.
Senator Margaret Kamar is also expected to defend her seat as an independent candidate.
