UDA Hopefuls Line Up Before Kindiki Ahead of High-Stakes Ol Kalou By-Election
Ten aspirants seeking the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party ticket for the forthcoming Ol Kalou by-election have formally presented themselves before Deputy President Kithure Kindiki, in what is shaping up to be a closely watched political contest.
The meeting, held on Wednesday, April 22 at Harambee House, signals the beginning of an intense race to replace the late David Kiaraho, whose death on March 29 left the parliamentary seat vacant.
Kindiki, who also serves as UDA’s Deputy Party Leader, urged the aspirants to consider reaching a consensus candidate where possible, even as he pledged a transparent and credible nominations process.
“The Deputy President encouraged the aspirants to pursue consensus where possible, while assuring all those interested of a free, fair, and verifiable nominations process under the party,” read part of the statement following the meeting.
The Ol Kalou by-election is expected to act as a critical test of UDA’s internal democratic processes, with the party under scrutiny to deliver a credible nomination exercise amid growing political competition.
UDA Sets Stage for Massive Grassroots Elections
In a separate statement issued after the meeting, UDA outlined plans for its Repeat Phase II Grassroots Elections, set to take place on Thursday, April 23, across 18 counties and targeting millions of voters.
The counties earmarked for the exercise include Kisumu County, Siaya County, Migori County, Kisii County, Bungoma County, Makueni County, Machakos County, Kitui County, Isiolo County, Marsabit County, Taita Taveta County, Lamu County, Tana River County, Kilifi County, Kwale County and Mombasa County. Additional voting in Turkana County and Kajiado County is scheduled for Saturday, April 25.
According to the party, more than 450,000 candidates have registered to vie for grassroots positions across over 9,000 polling stations, reflecting what UDA describes as broad-based participation from diverse sectors of society.
“Over 450,000 candidates have registered to contest for various twenty (20) positions at the Polling Centres, ranging from representatives of women, youth, Special Interest Groups, farmers, religious representatives, professionals, and MSMEs/traders,” the party said.
Voting is set to run from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, with UDA confirming the deployment of 9,500 electronic voting tablets to facilitate the process and enhance transparency.
“As with previous grassroots elections, we will deploy end-to-end technology to manage the process, with 9,500 electronic voting tablets already at each Polling Centre,” the statement added, noting that results will be published in real time via a public portal on the party’s official website.
The exercise is expected to yield more than 182,000 grassroots officials, each carrying a direct mandate from party members, in what UDA describes as a key pillar of its internal governance structure.
Also Read: Explosive Row: Muturi Calls for Sunkuli Exit Over ‘Mysterious’ Voter Transfers