Mt Kenya region has emerged as the focal point of the UDA party’s grassroots elections scheduled for Saturday, posting the highest numbers of aspirants in what is shaping up to be the biggest internal and competitive party poll ever held in Kenya.
The region has recorded a surge in interest across all grassroots positions, with party officials citing heightened mobilisation, strengthened structures and fierce competition for ward-level leadership slots ahead of the weekend vote.
Official party data shows that 310,651 candidates have registered to contest various positions across 20 counties, far surpassing the 237,940 party offices available.
The exercise will be conducted in 12,000 polling centres countrywide.
An estimated three million UDA members are expected to turn out to vote, meaning each polling centre will on average serve about 250 voters, underscoring the scale and organisational depth of the ruling party.
Meru County, for instance, recorded 35,343 candidates against a projected 21,000, placing it among the top counties nationally.
Kiambu followed with 21,000 candidates, surpassing the projected 11,300.
Murang’a registered 20,880 candidates compared to an expected 11,900 while Nyandarua has recorded 18,665 candidates against a projected 8,100.
Nyeri, which is former Deputy President Rigathi Gachagua’s backyard, recorded 16,448 candidates, exceeding a projected 11,500.
On its part, Kirinyaga has registered 14,000 aspirants against a projected 6,400.
Embu recorded 15,881 candidates compared to a projected 3,800.
A section of UDA members during a recent sensitisation meeting in Embu/COURTESY UDA officials say these figures reflect deep-rooted party structures and intense grassroots mobilisation in the Mt Kenya bloc.
“What you are seeing is a party that has invested in building real grassroots machinery, not just for the moment, but for the future,” UDA Secretary General Hassan Omar said recently.
Omar added that the exercise will “strengthen internal democracy and reinforce the party’s organisational discipline ahead of the next electoral cycle.”
Nakuru County has also emerged as a major point of interest for the ruling party grassroots aspirants, registering 30,010 candidates against a projected 20,800, reinforcing its status as a strategic county within UDA’s Rift Valley base.
Laikipia County registered 2,958 candidates across 348 polling centres, with contests in 111 centres.
In Western Kenya, Kakamega County attracted 32,677 candidates against a projected 19,500, one of the highest tallies in the country.
Vihiga registered 7,327 candidates, slightly above the projected 7,220.
Trans Nzoia recorded 7,825 candidates against a projected 7,360, across 368 polling centres, with 289 contests.
Across the rest of the country, Bomet County registered 25,350 candidates against a projected 12,750.
Nandi recorded 15,220 candidates against an expected 13,640, spread across 682 polling centres, with 478 centres contested.
Uasin Gishu County posted 13,570 registered candidates against a projected 9,680, across 484 polling centres, with 477 centres seeing contests.
Kericho County registered 5,967 candidates across 599 polling centres, with 266 centres contested.
Baringo County recorded 11,842 candidates across 975 polling centres, with 473 centres contested.
Samburu County posted 4,386 candidates across 309 polling centres, with 229 centres contested.
Elgeyo/Marakwet County registered 7,236 candidates across 492 polling centres, with 377 centres registering more than one candidate for various positions.
Overall, 223,425 candidates will face contests, while 80,038 are unopposed, reflecting both intense competition and strategic consolidation within the party.
With more than 310,000 candidates seeking UDA party office, millions of members voting, and thousands of polling centres operational, Saturday’s elections are expected to set a new benchmark for internal party democracy, firmly positioning the ruling party as the most grassroots-driven political entity in the country.
National Assembly majority leader Kimani Ichung’wah said the elections will be conducted transparently and peacefully.
The voting process, he said, will be electronic noting the party has invested up to Sh750 million to acquired electronic devices.
“Our elections are digital and not manual. But the time the last voter votes we will know who is the winner in that polling station,” he said.
by FELIX KIPKEMOI
