The UDA wave in the North Rift region seems to have been too strong for independent candidates to swim through, this is if preliminary results are anything to go by.
Although the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has not yet officially announced any official results in the region, all indications are that UDA will likely win a majority of the elective positions.
In Uasin Gishu, one of the elective positions that had attracted interest is Kesses Constituency.
Here, incumbent MP Dr Swarup Mishra is seeking re-election as an independent candidate against UDA’s CPA Julius Ruto.
Based on preliminary results, CPA Ruto, formerly a Uasin Gishu County Executive Committee Member (CECM) for Finance and Economic Planning had taken an early lead.
As early as Tuesday night, CPA Ruto had already thanked Kesses voters, in what might suggest his own tally had indicated he was headed for a win.
“Thank you Kesses Constituency. Kongoi ! Kongoi !,” he posted on his official Facebook page.
Official results for the constituency that has 77,942 voters, spread across four wards are expected later on Wednesday, August 10, 2022.
In Nandi Hills, another constituency that had attracted interests from across the country, incumbent legislator Alfred Keter was trailing UDA’s Bernard Kitur.
The preliminary final tally for the parliamentary race had put Kitur ahead with 23,243 votes against Alfred Keter’s 17,990.
But IEBC Nandi Hills Constituency Returning Officer is yet to formally declare results for the MP seat.
And in what might be a pointer to what is to come, Kapseret MP Oscar Sudi had on Tuesday evening taken to his social media pages with a video he said was a message to the politicians that had not vied on a UDA ticket in the region.
In the video, the MP, whose main competitor Frank Murgor had already conceded defeat called out among others Moiben MP Silas Tiren, Joshua Kutuny (Cherangany), Mishra, Julius Tuwei (Mosop) asking how they were (hapo vipi?).
“Some message here for rebels in Bonde La Ufa,” Sudi said while tweeting the video.
