UDA county grassroots elections to be complete by April 9

Deputy president-elect Kithure Kindiki. [File, Standard]

Deputy President Kithure Kindiki has said that the United Democratic Alliance party (UDA) county leaders' grassroots elections will be completed by April 9.

He also said the elections, which started yesterday, will first be held in 18 counties and then the remaining counties will also have their grassroots elections later.

The 18 counties, he said, are TransNzoia, Samburu, Elgeyo Marakwet, Nandi, Vihiga, Kericho, Bomet, Baringo, Uasin Gishu, Laikipia, Nyandarua, Meru, Tharaka Nithi, Embu, Kirinyaga, Nyeri, Muranga, and Kiambu counties.

The DP who addressed the media at the party headquarters yesterday also communicated the death of a female returning officer earlier in the day at Nkomo Ward in Tigania West, Meru County. The deceased, who was suspected to have been who was suffering from asthma, is said to have collapsed while on duty.

Kindiki, who is also the UDA deputy party leader, said there are five other counties that did theirs earlier, up to the county level.

“So basically, by next month, we will have concluded this very ambitious but important party exercise,” said Kindiki while addressing the media at UDA Headquarters along Ngong Road in Nairobi.

He added: “We believe, as UDA, that the party is stronger if it is strong at the grassroots. When the people who speak on behalf of the party at the local level, at the grassroots, are elected by party members, then you have a strong party. So we are going to continue this exercise, and eventually we will have more than half a million grassroots party officials.”

Kindiki said initially they had plans to include Nakuru County, but because of the ongoing Safari Rally, they thought they would do it together with Kakamega on March 28.

After the county exercise, he said it will be followed by the sub-county, then in all the 1,450 wards.

He said that out of the 18 counties are 9,000 polling centres with 500,000 candidates who are fighting for 150,000 slots.

Kindiki said going forward, the party will have in excess of a million and a half towards 2 million candidates, but the final number of those who will be elected at that level will be slightly over 500,000.

He said after elections, there will be a second phase of empowering party officials at the grassroots to speak on behalf of the party authoritatively about the manifesto, the scorecard of the government, and where they make or are making progress.

 “That way, the UGM party will be a strong party, as we have always aspired to be, and no other party has tried the kind of exercise we are rolling out across the country,” said Kindiki.

He added, “No other party has tried it. The sheer logistics and the strain on the institutional capabilities are quite momentous, but we have the task, and we are doing everything possible to make sure that we succeed.”

The DP said after the elections at the County, sub-county, and wards, the delegates will meet in Nairobi during the national delegates' congress to elect their national leaders.

He lauded the elections that started today, saying turnout was good despite the few challenges of rain, and delays in delivering gadgets and missing candidates' names in the database, saying deployment of technology will help in releasing the results quickly.  

“We'll extend the voting time to compensate for the time lost in the morning so there's no cause for alarm,” he said. Other than that, one of the standout factors of this ongoing exercise is the use of technology. Very fast technology, and it takes a few seconds to vote. It doesn't take long,” said Kindiki.

He added: “It is very user-friendly, efficient, seamless, and the method of relaying results is even faster than what the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) system uses. We are going to get results within minutes, and these are electronically submitted results, and there is no intermediary in between. There are no physical forms, and all the things that need to be verified are all electronic.”

He told off former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua, saying his party will not give UDA a run for its money in the Central region since he is offering party leadership tickets to his relatives, cronies, and friends.

"This is a national party. We are present everywhere, and what this means for Kenya is that UDA is going to emerge stronger. UDA will be the only party that will have credible officials elected by members. No other party will try what we are trying," said Kindiki.

He added, "You only compare likes with likes. I don't know why you are comparing UDA, a formidable party with solid structures and national credentials, with another party formed by someone who has put the registration certificate in his pocket and is dishing out party positions to his friends, relatives, and cronies. UDA does not play in that league."