A recent remark by Soy Member of Parliament Caleb Kositany that the Nandi Community would determine the next Uasin Gishu governor has already sparked a storm ahead of the 2022 general elections.
Several politicians said to be eyeing the seat have so far dismissed the sentiments saying they are uncalled for and meant to cause ethnic divisions ahead of the next poll.
However, Kositany’s utterances have some truth in it. Uasin Gishu is a largely cosmopolitan county but the Kalenjin community are still the majority though the non-Kalenjin voters put together are almost hitting 40 per cent.
Among the Kalenjins living in Uasin Gishu, the Nandi’s are the majority compared to other subtribes like Keiyos and Marakwets, and on this basis, the Soy MP is to some extent right when he says the Nandi community will determine Mandago’s successor.
That said, it remains a fact that you cannot rule out the ethnic influence to elections not only in Uasin Gishu gubernatorial contest but also even at the presidential level.
Kenyans vote based on ethnic lines and will always vote for ‘mtu wetu’. For Uasin Gishu, it is the very same case, whoever wants to be the next governor will first have to consolidate his ethnic support base before seeking for support from other tribes.
Several politicians have already expressed interest to succeed Mandago among them billionaire businessman Zedekiah Bundotich Buzeki and Prof. Julius Bitok, the current Kenyan ambassador to Pakistan, who are seen as front-runners. Buzeki lost to Mandago in last year’s poll while Buzeki lost to Mandago during the then United Republican Party (URP) nominations in 2013.
Both Buzeki and Bitok are from the Kalenjin community but from different sub-tribes, Keiyo and Nandi respectively.
From the onset, the 2022 poll will be a repeat of 2017 where it will be a subtribe contest between Nandis and Keiyos. Whoever will succeed in pulling together his community to rally behind him will have an upper hand in clinching the seat.
However, the winner will have to also get support from at least one of the other non-Kalenjin voters in the county. For this reason, ethnicity is still a factor when it comes to the Uasin Gishu gubernatorial race.
#hivisasaoriginal