Boost for Dr. Mutai in Kericho governor’s race as opponent endorses him

Two aspirants for the Kericho County governor’s seat have announced what they termed as a political earthquake ahead of Thursday's planned United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party nominations.

After what they termed as wider consultations with opinion leaders and technocrats from various fields, Eng. Fred  Kirui has agreed to set aside his ambitions to back Dr. Erick Mutai’s gubernatorial bid.

Eng. Kirui will now be Dr. Mutai’s running mate in the race, setting up for an interesting face off with former Devolution Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter – who has also been viewed as a frontrunner - for the UDA nomination ticket.

Dr. Mutai revealed that he has been talking to Eng. Kirui behind the scenes since they began campaigning, adding that their supporters have all along been urging them to work together and craft a winning formula for the county’s top seat.

"We are here to announce that we have agreed to work together after lengthy consultations. During our campaign rallies, our supporters have been asking us to work together so as to win the seat. And now we have done so, we are banking on you to win," he said.

He said the unity of purpose was aimed at enhancing the quality of service delivery and spurring economic development of Kericho County.

Dr. Mutai, a former lecturer at Embu University, and Eng. Kirui exuded confidence of winning the UDA nominations and going ahead to win the August 9th polls.

"My brother Kirui is an intelligent person and has vision for the county…We urge our supporters to support our endeavour and promote peace during Thursday's nominations,” said Dr. Mutai.

Eng. Kirui, who is a former director at the Kenya Ports Authority (KPA), revealed that he chose to step aside and back Dr. Mutai since their agenda and ideologies align.

“I resolved to join Mutai's side after I realized that Mutai is a genuine person who wants the county to prosper. So I am here to state that I sacrifice my ambitions for the sake of the county's prosperity," Kirui said.

They declared that they did not join forces because they feared they might lose or due to coercion, but for the sake of prosperity and development of the county.

Dr. Mutai further disclosed that they had already communicated the development in the race to UDA party leader Deputy President William Ruto.

He stated that they will also sign a memorandum of understanding later, adding that negotiations with others aspirants for the seat are also going on.

Others aspirants in the Kericho gubernatorial race are Prof. James Sang, Kericho Deputy Governor Lily Ng'ok, both of whom are seeking the UDA party ticket, as well as Eng. Elijah Maru who is eyeing the seat as an independent candidate.