URP parliamentary nominee steps down

By Vitalis Kimutai

A youthful Nairobi based politician Samuel Mburu who had been listed as a parliamentary nominee by the United Republican Party (URP) has stepped down.

Mburu has written to the party asking that he be removed from the list so as to pave the way for more women to be nominated by the party in the spirit of gender parity in leadership.

“It is true that after consultations I have asked that my name be expunged from the list that was forwarded to Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) so that URP can have a higher number of women in leadership,” Mburu told The Standard in an interview.

Mburu was on top of a list of proposed nominees representing youths in URP, a party led by Deputy President elect William Ruto and which has the highest number of youthful leaders having been elected as Members of Parliament,Senators,Governors,Women Representatives and Members of County Assembly.

Without elaborating, Mburu said that he will serve the party and the Jubilee Coalition in other capacities and that the decision was personal but hastened to add that he had put the party leadership and Ruto in picture regarding the move.

“I have informed party chairman Francis Ole Kaparo, Secretary General Davis Chirchir and Rutoof my decision. Owing to the low number of women who were elected as MPs, I felt that by stepping down, the party can use the opportunity to nominate one more woman and balance the gender equation both in the National Assembly and there is need to push the numbers

Separately, a section of members of the Maasai community have asked URP to nominate party activist Ms Leah Ntimama to the Senate in appreciation for the voters in Narok County who voted in four members of parliament, a Governor and a Senator.

“Owing to the overwhelming support the party got in the area from the voters, we are expecting a leader from the County to be nominated to the Senate or the National Assembly,” Lemein Ole Korei,the Narok South MP elect said.

Korei led three other newly elected MPs in the region in making the demands when they spoke to The Standard in Nairobi.

Out of the six parliamentary seats in Narok County ,four of them went to URP while one each was won by Kenya National Congress (KNC), and The National Alliance (TNA).

The biggest loser in the region was 85 year old Heritage Minister William Ole Ntimama of ODM who was handed a humiliating defeat in Narok North constituency by TNA’s Moitalel Ole Kenta, a Nairobi based lawyer.

Former Narok South MP Nkoidila Ole Lankas was also beaten by a youthful Lemein Ole Korei of URP.

The other MPs are Ken Kiloku (URP) Narok East,Patrick Ntutu (URP) Narok West and Johana Ngeno (KNC) Emmuar Dikirr.

URP also won the Governor post through Samwel Tunai, Stephen Ole Ntutu (URP) Senator and Ms Soipan Tuya (URP) was elected Women Representative.

“Majority of the elective seats went to URP in Narok County because of the trust the people have on Ruto,” Ms Ntimama said.

Ms Ntimama said that the party manifesto was also friendly to the pastorals adding that the URP leaders pitched tent in the region to campaign for its candidates ahead of the poll.

Even though Prime Minister Raila Odinga garnered majority of the presidential votes cast in Narok County, his Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party did not get any seat in the region.

Raila got a total of 127,171 votes against president elect Uhuru Kenyatta’s 109,418 votes according to results released by Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Mr Issack Hassan.

A total of 262,749 voters were registered by IEBC in Narok County but only 235,906 of them cast their votes.

In Kajiado County Uhuru garnered 138,851 votes against Raila’s 117,856 votes in an area where 265,185 votes were cast against a registered voter register of 304,346.

ODM only got two seats through David Kidienye (Governor) and assistant minister Joseph Nkaissery who was re-elected as Kajiado Central MP.

TNA took the remaining seats with Peter Ole Mositet being elected Senator, MPs -Moses Ole Sakuda (Kajiado West), Mrs Peris Tobiko (Kajiado East), Joseph Maje (Kajiado North),Katoo ole Metito (Kajiado South) Senator Women Representative Mary Mary Senate.