Five candidates are from the National Alliance while two are from the United Republican Party/MIKE KARIUKI
The National Alliance Party Chairman Johnson Sakaja made the announcement as he received application forms of five TNA aspirants vying under the coalition, taking the time to assure them that the exercise will be free and fair in the interest of democracy to avoid disintegrating the coalition.
“I want to state with confidence that we have the next Member of Parliament for Kajiado Central amongst us here today. We have had a fruitful meeting together with the leadership of URP and we have agreed that the Jubilee coalition will field a single candidate. We have sat down with our candidates and given them a commitment that this nomination process will reach the deserving threshold of transparency and will be open to all of them,” said Sakaja.
Five candidates are from the National Alliance while two are from the United Republican Party.
Sakaja urged the candidates to go out and peacefully campaign and implored them to stay away from individuals who may want to cause disunity amongst them.
Initially, the candidates had accused the party of favouring certain candidates but Sakaja dispelled the notion.
READ: Kajiado Central by-election slated for March 16
“We expect the campaigns to be vigorous and hot since but we are assuring the candidates of our impartiality and non- bias. There is no single preferred candidate, we only have a preferred ticket,” said Sakaja.
URP Secretary General Fred Muteti dismissed the naysayers who were expecting that TNA and URP would fight over choice of candidate firmly stating that Jubilee was united.
“Whoever is going to get the nomination certificate is automatically the Member of Parliament,” said Muteti.
While addressing a gathering of supporters who had accompanied them to the TNA headquarters for the meeting, the aspirants thanked the party for re-assuring them and expressed optimism of going through a fair process to pick a single candidate.
“We should see the bigger picture that it a party which is bigger than any of us and we are actually in one house, even though for now, we have to go through a competitive process to decide on who is more favourable and who will deliver the TNA ticket,” said Dr Leina Mpoke.
The five TNA candidates are Patrick Tutui, Elijah Memusi Kanchory, Dr Leina Mpoke, Cpt. Antony Kiroken and Joyce Leteipan Kimojino.
Kiroken a pilot with the Kenya Wildlife Service (KWS) and his first cousin Mpoke, a veterinarian are contesting against each other.
The sole female candidate is soft spoken Kimojino.
Even as candidates prepare to battle it out ahead of the nominations next week, they will have to contend with the fact that there is the issue of clans and at the moment elders are yet to agree on a sole candidate.
The Jubilee candidate who will emerge successful will battle it out with five others from other parties, including ODM which previously held the seat before Joseph Nkaissery was named Interior Cabinet Secretary.
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