ELGEYO MARAKWET, Kenya, Jan 6 – William Kisang of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party has won the Elgeyo Marakwet senatorial seat which was left vacant following the appointment of Senator Kipchumba Murkomen as a cabinet secretary.
The former Marakwet West Member of Parliament won the seat after garnering 42,387 votes to beat his closest rival Tim Kipchumba of the Party for Peace and Democracy (PPD) party who got 58,152 votes.
Other four candidates who also vied for the seat included the only woman who vied for the seat Seii Jeprotich (Safina), who got 2,660 votes, lawyer Andrew Mengich (independent) 503, Kevin Kemboi (Independent) 382 and Timothy Tanui (New Democrat) who got 397 votes,
The county election coordinator Charles Mutai said a total of 83, 471 votes were cast out of the 209,964 registered voters in the county representing a turnout of 39.75%.
Speaking when he received the certificate, Kisang promised to unite the whole county adding that he would strive to fit into the former senator Murkomen’s shoes.
He appealed to all those who vied for the seat to work with him to serve the people of Elgeyo Marakwet saying the competition was now over and it was time to deliver.
Tim Kipchumba of the Party for Peace and Development was the first one to concede, and said he had already sent his congratulated UDA’s Kisang and offered him best wishes as he assumes the seat.
“A few minutes to midnight yesterday, I called Sen Hon Kisang and congratulated him. I assured him of my support as my Senator and the Senator elect of Elgeyo Marakwet,” Kipchumba stated.
Safina’s Jerotich Seii on her part said the outcome fell short of what she had hoped.
The Social Activist said that she will continue to fight for the devolution of resources even though she did not realize her ambition of representing the county in the senate.
“Those weren’t the results we had hoped for lakini asiyekubali kushindwa si mshindani.The complex world of politics isn’t for jokes. #ElgeyoMarakwet did not send me to the Senate to fight from the inside but I will continue to fight on the outside always for Wanjiku,” she stated.
