President William Ruto has tasked Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua with leading political negotiations to resolve the UDA county elections standoff in Nairobi. The contentious Nairobi County polls involve factions allied with Governor Johnson Sakaja and Embakasi North MP James Gakuya.
The UDA National Elections Board canceled the elections scheduled for Monday after a dispute. This followed the Political Parties Dispute Tribunal’s suspension of the elections on June 6, based on a complaint from one of the factions, pending the case’s resolution. In response, Ruto directed Gachagua to mediate between the two factions and find a political solution.
The President made this decision after chairing the UDA National Executive Committee meeting at State House on Saturday. The party announced that the Nairobi elections would be rescheduled soon to allow party delegates to select their leaders. Ruto suggested that the Nairobi polls could occur on the same day as elections in two other counties.
Gachagua, reportedly supporting Gakuya’s faction, faces the challenge of negotiating impartially, despite being linked to the Gakuya camp. The Gakuya faction prefers a manual voting system, while the Sakaja camp advocates for a fully digital process. In the recent constituency elections across Nairobi, the Sakaja camp secured 240 votes compared to Gakuya’s 340 votes.
