Jubilee Official explains why Bomet County nominations were postponed

Jubilee Party has postponed the much anticipated Bomet primaries from Friday April 21 to April 25^th, with the announcement coming just hours before members were set to cast their ballots.

Speaking to Citizen Digital Thursday night, County Election Board Chair Benard Mutai stated that they pushed forward the nominations to allow for proper preparations – this coming after candidates emerged from a crisis meeting.

“We have a shortage of ballot papers, and we do not have enough vehicles to transport officers to polling stations. There are no stamps.  Additionally, some of the ballot papers delivered have errors,” Mr Mutai reported.

After late night deliberations with the aspirants, the poll board opted to push the nominations forward.

“Because of the challenges we have faced, we will not be able to carry out the nominations tomorrow (Friday) morning. We don’t want a situation where officers have to use exercise books as polling material. We, therefore, ask Jubilee to provide sufficient ballot papers so that we can proceed with the exercise,” said Mutai.

Bomet Battleground

National Assembly Deputy Speaker Joyce Laboso, Julius Kones and Stephen Mutai have all thrown their hat in the Jubilee ring, each hoping that they will be selected to battle it out with Governor Isaac Ruto come August 8.

Bomet will be a crucial battleground for Jubilee Party as the incumbent, Governor Ruto, has joined hands with Opposition coalition National Super Alliance (NASA).

The governor, whose tough political stances have seen him clash numerously with Government during his tenure, has been branded a rebel by Jubilee loyalists for seemingly trying to challenge Deputy President William Ruto’s authority in the Rift Valley Region.

The Chama Cha Mashinani (CCM) leader was officially welcomed to NASA’s top leadership Friday, with Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) leader Raila Odinga stating that, with the Bomet Governor’s addition, the Oppositions Pentagon was complete.

“The five of us, Isaac Ruto, Moses Wetangula, Kalonzo Musyoka, Musalia Mudavadi and yours truly Raila Amolo Odinga,  have today relaunched the Pentagon,” said Raila.

This announcement served to underscore the importance of Bomet County in Rift Valley politics, as a win for Governor Ruto could be seen a power shift in DP’s Ruto backyard.

For now, NASA’s newest recruit waits with bated breath for the outcome of Tuesday’s primaries.

UPDATE: Jubilee Party National Elections Board Chair Andrew Musangi has refuted these claims, insisting that all polling stations have been sufficiently kitted. Party Secretary General Raphael Tuju has stated that aspirants and returning officer are not authorised to speak on behalf of the party.