By Patricia Mollyne Mataga
The United Democratic Alliance (UDA) has announced plans to start nationwide engagement with aspirants ahead of their planned grassroots elections.
The ruling party last week announced that it will be conducting its grassroots elections starting later this month.
In a media briefing on Tuesday, the party’s National Elections Board Chairman ENG Anthony Mwaura said they had started preparations.
As part of the preparations, Mwaura announced that engagement with individuals eyeing various party positions will begin next week.
“To ensure that all participants, more specifically the aspirants are on the same level, the board has consequently planned separate meetings with all aspirants contesting various seats; County level aspirants, Constituency Level aspirants and both elected and nominated leaders from the phase one slated counties. The crucial meeting will be held at the UDA Party headquarters, The Hustler Plaza, Nairobi,” the board chairperson said in part of the statement.
“Aspirants are encouraged to attend the meeting as this is the forum that will address any queries and concerns that they may have and will be the platform to ensure comprehensive awareness of election procedures and guidelines,” he added.
The meetings start on April 12, 2024.
Seven counties will be having their elections on April 26th. Leaders from these counties are the ones that will have a meeting with the UDA elections board.
The seven are Nairobi, Busia, Homa Bay, Isiolo, Garissa, Narok and West Pokot.
Meanwhile, the ruling party said it will undertake comprehensive member sensitization meetings in the said counties to ensure they are well briefed on the election processes.
“The sensitization messages will also be amplified in the party’s social media platforms as well as heightened activities in the mainstream media,” the elections board chair noted.
Currently, the board is identifying and recruiting personnel who will conduct the elections, which will be purely electronic.
“However, voting will be physical and thus those to take part must present themselves at their respective polling stations,” the party clarified.
The electronic voting gadgets are already in the country and the ruling party said they will be transported to their stations in good time and placed in safe custody.