Chaos during selection of Nakuru Jubilee elections board

Nakuru East MP David Gikaria (in black T-shirt) during voting for the Jubilee Nakuru County elections board on March 20, 2017. The elections turned chaotic as leaders exchanged blows. PHOTO | SILA KIPLAGAT | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria engaged supporters of his arch-rival – former Nakuru mayor Benson Mwangi.
  • The elections were, however, concluded successfully after a full list of nominated candidates was filled.
  • Ms Kangogo assured aspirants that nominations will be free and fair.

The Jubilee Party headquarters in Nakuru was on Monday turned into a wrestling arena following a clash by two aspirants for the Nakuru Town East parliamentary seat during the election of the county board officials.

At the centre of the fracas was Nakuru Town East MP David Gikaria who engaged supporters of his arch-rival – former Nakuru mayor Benson Mwangi – in a physical fight following a heated exchange.

The two sides had clashed on the choice of a representative to the elections board.

Police had to intervene to stop the chaos that left the MP nursing a bruise on his neck.

The elections were, however, concluded successfully after a full list of nominated candidates was filled.

Other leaders present at elections included Governor Kinuthia Mbugua and his rival Mr Lee Kinyanjui, MPs Samuel Arama, Joseph Kiuna and Moses Cheboi.

MERGE CONSTITUENCIES

The criteria used to pick candidates to the board included merging some of constituencies and allowing aspirants to nominate one most preferred person, based on Nakuru’s former six constituencies.

Representatives were drawn from the former six constituencies including the merged Nakuru Town, Kuresoi, Naivasha/Gilgil, Molo/Njoro, Subukia/Bahati and Rongai constituencies.

Among members elected to the board include Brig Rtd Alexander Sitienei, Rev David Kiiru, Mr Kiboi Ndegwa, Mr Fredrick Rono, Mr Ndichu Wambugu, Bishop Wambugu and Mr Daniel Njenga.

The other three slots were set aside for the minority and special groups.

The brawl ensued after Mr Mwangi and his supporters rejected the choice of a candidate by Mr Gikaria and demanded to have another person instead.

This led to an altercation that saw each camp chanting the name of their preferred candidate before it escalated into a physical fight.

INTERVENTION

In a bid to quell the situation, Jubilee Party National Elections Board Vice-Chairperson Vesca Kangogo, who was presiding over the process, directed the parties to submit the names of the two candidates from whom one would be chosen.

According to the official, Nakuru County was among the 17 special counties which will be given priority to have nominations conducted from April 13 to 19 in all IEBC registered polling stations.

She assured aspirants that nominations will be free and fair since the exercise would be presided over by officials from other regions.

“The elections board that you have elected will be [taken] to another county to ensure that there will be no rigging for the preferred candidates,” said Ms Kangogo.

Governor Mbugua exuded confidence that the Jubilee Party will win all the elective positions in the county in the August polls.