Six battle it out for UDA party ticket in Emurua Dikirr

United Democratic Alliance (UDA) chairperson Antony Mwaura. [File, Standard]

The battle to succeed the late Emurua Dikirr Johana Ng'eno is promising to be a tough one.

Already, six people have expressed interest in vying for the UDA party ticket for the by-election scheduled for May 14. The nominations are scheduled for Friday.

Parties in the Opposition are also expected to field their candidates in the mini poll that could test the popularity of the ruling alliance

Ng'eno, who had represented the constituency since 2013, died earlier this month in a helicopter crash in Nandi County, along with five others.

In a notice issued on Wednesday, UDA directed all interested candidates to submit their applications through its online system within the set window, warning that failure to comply fully with the process would lock them out of the nominations.

"All aspirants must first register on the UDA portal. Registration is only considered complete after both registration and payment are successfully done through the portal,” the party stated.

 Ilkerin MCA Ezekiel Kiprono, who served as Deputy Majority Leader at the Narok County Assembly, has announced his intention to contest on a UDA ticket.

His entry signals intra-party competition, aims to reclaim the seat, and sets the stage for a potentially intense primary.

Other interested candidates include Bernard Ngeno, also known as Arap Buluu, who was the Personal Assistant to the late MP, David Keter, alias Dollarline; Joseph Koech, a former Deputy Accountant General in the Executive Office of the Prime Cabinet Secretary; Ezra Sawe, an employee at the County Government of Narok; and Farouk Tembur.

The UDA party nomination exercise will determine candidates for the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary by-election, as well as County Assembly contests in Porro Ward, Samburu West, and Endo Ward in Marakwet East.

In a notice issued on Tuesday, UDA directed all interested candidates to submit their applications through its online system within the designated window, warning that failure to fully comply would result in disqualification from the nominations.

"All aspirants must first register on the UDA portal. Registration is only considered complete after both registration and payment are successfully processed through the portal,” the party stated.

The digital platform is designed to guide applicants through the process, automatically prompting them to settle nomination fees via M-Pesa STK push or Equity Bank once their details are filled in.

Only those who complete both steps will be eligible to participate in the primaries.

UDA further outlined the fee structure, setting a standard fee of Sh25,000 for all MCA aspirants, including male, female, youth, and persons with disabilities.

Candidates seeking the Emurua Dikirr parliamentary ticket will pay Sh125,000 if they are female, youth, or persons with disabilities, while male candidates will pay Sh250,000.

The party emphasised that these payments are non-refundable under any circumstances.

Aspirants can send the funds via M-Pesa paybill number 888092 using their ID numbers or deposit directly into the party’s Equity Bank account at the Supreme Centre branch.

National Elections Board Chairman Anthony Mwaura urged interested individuals to meet all requirements, noting that only those fulfilling all conditions within the specified timeline will be considered for nomination.