Marakwet West MP wants UDA elections board disbanded

Timothy Toroitich vied for Marakwet West parliamentary seat as an independent candidate. [Elvis Ogina, Stanard]

An independent MP who recently campaigned for the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate in the just concluded Elgeyo Marakwet senatorial by-election wants the President William Ruto-led party to disband its election board.

Marakwet West MP Timothy Toroitich who at one point encountered hostile supporters while campaigning for his predecessor Senator-elect William Kisang, faulted the UDA National Elections Board over alleged mismanagement of nominations.

Mr Toroitich who lost in the UDA nominations to Mr Kisang ahead of last year's General Election, successfully vied for Marakwet West parliamentary seat as an independent candidate.

The senator-elect was accused by aspirants of unfairly winning the UDA ticket in the November 26, 2022 nominations for Elgeyo Marakwet senatorial seat.

The MP urged UDA to emulate how the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) conducts elections.

"We just had very successful by-elections in the country, devoid of complaints, IEBC managed voting well. This is unlike last year's UDA party primaries which were followed by several complaints due to mismanagement and vote rigging," the MP claimed.

"UDA has been known to conduct shambolic party primaries because of leaders who take advantage of the party's weak elections' system to rig polls to favour them," he added.

Toroitich told UDA to set up an impartial elections board if it wants popular candidates to vie in future elections.

He said he would have been a UDA lawmaker if the nominations were transparent.

"I'm allied to the Kenya Kwanza coalition because I was a supporter of the President's party and its ideals from the onset. But I only have a problem with some few party officials who risk tainting the party's good reputation by tempering with its election systems," Toroitich said.

The MP noted that voters in Elgeyo Marakwet county elected two MPs and two MCAs on independent ticket despite losing in UDA primaries.

"The UDA Elections Board must be reconstituted. There's absolutely no reason why the president should be struggling in his strongholds, as was recently seen in Elgeyo Marakwet county. The reason we have four leaders elected on independent ticket in the county is because of flawed party primaries," he added.