Yulita Mitei likely to be first woman deputy governor in North Rift

Dr Yulita Mitei, the running mate of Nandi Senator Stephen Sang, who is now vying for the county's governorship on a Jubilee ticket. Dr Mitei is poised to be the first woman deputy governor in the North Rift if Mr Sang wins in the August 8 election. PHOTO | JARED NYATAYA | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • The 47-year old academic who hails from Mosop Constituency was picked by Senator Stephen Sang.
  • Most candidates in the North Rift did not pick women as running mates.
  • Before she was picked as running-mate, Dr Mitei was in the race for the gubernatorial seat.

Dr Yulita Mitei, a former lecturer at the Egerton University is on the verge of becoming the first female deputy governor in the North Rift region where most gubernatorial candidates have shied away from picking women as their running mates.

The 47-year old academic who hails from Mosop Constituency was picked by Senator Stephen Sang, the Jubilee Party candidate for Nandi governorship in the August 8 general election.

Senator Sang himself is on the verge of making history because, should he be elected, he will be poised to become the youngest governor in the country, at 32-years.

The youthful senator hails from Aldai Constituency.

EXPERIENCE

The choice of Dr Mitei, who boasts of experience in leadership and academic qualifications, has been welcomed by supporters who also widely see it as a move to ensure regional and gender balance.

She has also been campaigning on the platform of championing the interests and the rights of women and disabled people in the county, once she gets into office.

“As it is clearly stated in Senator Sang’s manifesto item 7, as his deputy and a friend of people living with disabilities, I will make sure the chapter is fully implemented,” she said in an interview with Nation Wednesday.

FIGHT FOR DISABLED

Even before she joined politics, Dr Mitei had been propagating the interests and the plight of the disabled. She has also served as the chairperson of the committee mainstreaming the issues of the disabled in the university.

Her résumé is rich.

She holds a PhD in Chemistry from the University of Botswana and a master’s in Chemistry from Kenyatta University.

She also holds a Bachelor of Education (Science) degree from Kenyatta University.

Before plunging into the murky world of politics, she was a senior lecturer at the University of Eldoret where she was teaching Chemistry.

QUIT RACE

Before she was picked as running-mate, Dr Mitei was in the race for the gubernatorial seat.

She quit ahead of Jubilee Party nominations and joined Senator Sang as his running mate.

The soft-spoken mother of four who believes in achieving her goals irrespective of hurdles, did not allow herself to be written off.

Senator Sang handed a resounding defeat to other heavyweights in the competition including the incumbent Governor Cleophas Lagat and former cabinet ministers Felix Koskei and Henry Kosgey, to clinch the coveted Jubilee Party ticket.

JUBILEE PRIMARIES

The youthful senator, a lawyer, garnered 85,971 votes against his closest rival, Mr Kosgey, who got 41,084 votes while Governor Lagat came in a distant third with 14,119 votes.

Senator Sang says he settled on Dr Mitei as his running-mate because she has the right credentials and that his manifesto underscores the role of women in his administration.

“I am confident we will win on August 8 and I will want to form an all-inclusive government that respects gender balance,” the senator said when he unveiled her.

“I won the Jubilee primaries against strong opponents and I’m sure people in Nandi will back us,” said Mr Sang.

Kanu’s Kipketer Danieland independent candidates Nick Koech and Anderson Serem are also in the race.