It is an open secret that Uasin Gishu is a Jubilee party stronghold. In fact, the county is home to Deputy President William Ruto who is the party's deputy leader.
During the 2017 general elections, the majority of the leaders starting from Ward Representatives, Senator, Woman Representative, Governor and even Members of Parliament were elected on a Jubilee party ticket, save for the two MPs.
Uasin Gishu has six constituencies, four were won by Jubilee candidates while two went to independent candidates.
The two who made it without the support of the Jubilee party are;
Janet Jepkemboi Sitienei
She is the Turbo Member of Parliament. Sitienei won the seat as an independent candidate after beating Jubilee's Kevin Okwara who came in the second place.
Sitienei had lost to Okwara during the Jubilee party primaries but later in 2017 general election garnered 37,854 votes to beat her main challenger who got 31,928 votes. This is despite the Jubilee party campaigning against her. In fact, Sitienei is the MP for the Deputy President whose rural home is in Sugoi.
William Chirchir Chepkut
He clinched the Ainabkoi parliamentary seat by beating incumbent Samuel Chepkonga who was the Jubilee party candidate. Chepkut won the seat in style after controversial primaries in which at first he had won the Jubilee party ticket but was later defeated by Chepkonga after a repeat in one polling station, Munyaka.
However, the former Personal Assistant to the once powerful minister the late Nicholas Biwott managed to upset the Jubilee candidate once again in the general election having vied on an independent ticket.
Though the two were elected as the independent candidates, they have been working closely with the Jubilee party legislators.
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