United Republican Party pulls out of Kisii by-elections

By Kenan Miruka

Kisii, Kenya: The United Republication Party (URP) will not field candidates in the Nyaribari Chache and Bomachoge Borabu by-elections.

The party will instead support its Jubilee Coalition partner, The National Alliance (TNA) in the by-elections slated for December 19, 2013.

URP Secretary General Fred Muteti said several candidates had expressed interest in vying for the two seats on a URP ticket but its National Executive Committee (NEC) met and resolved not to clear them.

Youthful politician Zaheer Jahanda and lawyer Johnson Omboga had expressed interest to contest the Nyaribari Chache and Bomachoge Borabu seats respectively on a URP ticket.

“We are not fielding any candidate in Kisii. We have even written to the Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and copies of the letter are with the returning officers on the ground,” said Muteti.

He said they had agreed within the Jubilee coalition that Kisii was purely a TNA zone and therefore it should field candidates.

The decision has not gone down well with the prospective candidates with Jahanda hinting at vying as an independent candidate in Nyaribari Chache.