Marakwet West MP Wants UDA National Elections Board Disbanded
Marakwet West Member of the parliament Mr. Timothy Toroitich has advised UDA officials to consider disbanding its National Elections Board due to what he has termed as a series of mismanaged elections.
The lawmaker said the party elections wing should borrow a leaf from how the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) conducts elections.
“We just had very successful by-elections in the country devoid of complaints because the national elections body managed it well. This is unlike previous UDA party primaries which attracted a lot of complaints due to mismanagement and vote rigging,” said the first-time Member of Parliament.
The Independent member of the National Assembly who has so far affiliated himself with Kenya Kwanza further noted that at no time has UDA conducted credible party polls since its inception last year.
“UDA has been known to conduct shambolic party primaries because of leaders who take advantage of the party’s weak elections system to rig polls to favor them,” he explained.
Before last year’s general elections, Mr. Toroitich showed an interest in Marakwet West parliamentary seat and launched his bid with an interest in UDA party.
He however lost during primaries to William Kisang, current Elgeyo Marakwet senator-elect in a poll he said was heavily rigged.
He went ahead to vie as an independent candidate, beating the then UDA candidate in a region that was seen as a Kenya Kwanza stronghold.
“I’m allied to the Kenya Kwanza government because I’m Kenya Kwanza from the start. I only have a problem with few party officials who risk soiling the party’s good reputation by tempering with its elections system,” explained Mr. Toroitich.
Mr. Toroitich explained that UDA is finding it very hard to convince people in its backyard where party primaries were allegedly rigged. He cited Elgeyo Marakwet, a president’s backyard where four leaders were elected as independents.
“The UDA elections Board must be reconstituted. There’s absolutely no reason why the president should be struggling in His strongholds as was recently seen in EMC. The reason we have 4 leaders elected via an independent ticket in EMC is because of flawed party primaries,” he explained.
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