Following the union between ANC, Ford-Kenya and UDA to form the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, the marriage has left other gubernatorial aspirants in Trans Nzoia in a panic mode.
Word has it that those who intend to inherit the position of Governor Patrick Khaemba after the completion of his second term, especially from the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party, are not happy with the zoning issue during the nominations.
The Deputy President is said to have told the two UDA gubernatorial aspirants to shelve their ambition and leave it to a Ford-Kenya gubernatorial aspirant since the marriage began.
One of the UDA gubernatorial aspirants was told to vie for the Kiminini Parliamentary seat and the other one was in Kwanza Constituency.
The one who was told to run for Kiminini Constituency rejected the move and zoning during the party nominations, saying he was the best candidate to inherit Governor Patrick Khaemba.
Two weeks ago, UDA aspirant Maurice Kakai Bisau, who works in the office of the Deputy President in the Department of Infrastructure, Energy and ICT, dismissed the allegation that he had been directed to vie for Kiminini Constituency.
Kakai said his enemies in the Kenya Kwanza Alliance were pushing this kind of ‘propaganda’ against him, but the agenda would not be successful.
“I will be in the ballot come August 9th nobody will force me to go for a position I do not want. The UDA Party is going to fill candidates everywhere in the county, and the votes I got twice in 2013 and 2017 can not be compared with someone who is running for the first time” the bitter Kakai said.
The source says that before the entrance of Ford-Kenya into the Kenya Kwanza Alliance, they had to sign a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) not to fill any candidate for gubernatorial position in Trans Nzoia County, Kwanza Parliamentary seat, Kiminini and the senatorial position.
The probability of UDA not fielding gubernatorial aspirants in Trans Nzoia County is high despite the denial of the Party National Chairman, Johnston Muthama, who said there would be no zoning during nominations.
Muthama had, however, clarified that UDA had no coalition agreement with ANC Party leader Musalia Mudavdai and Ford-Kenya boss Moses Wetangula. He said they were working just as friends.
“If the boss denies them a ticket to vie for the Trans Nzoia gubernatorial position, who are they not to follow the order from above? They will have to shelve their ambition because it will help us face our competitors from Azimio la Umoja,” said Laban Kirwa, a UDA supporter.
Mike Musungu is a reporter at Radio Simba in Bungoma and a correspondent of Trans Nzoia County for the Western Kenya Times.