A seat-sharing plan by Kalenjin elders in Uasin Gishu County has dealt a blow to Gladys Shollei’s plans to run for the Women Representative seat.
The elders, led by Major (Rtd) John Seii, met in Eldoret and announced that the woman rep candidate will come from Eldoret South, comprising Kesses and Kapseret constituencies.
This decision favors a candidate from Eldoret South who has already launched her campaigns. Shollei, who hails from a different area, found herself locked out of the race for the Women Rep title.
In a bid to garner support, Shollei has attempted to piggyback on the incumbent governor’s campaigns, seeking backing from the Nandi community. However, this move has been rejected by Mandago supporters who oppose her candidature for the Women Rep seat.
Outgoing Women Representative Eusila Ngeny has declared that she will not defend her seat, opting instead to vie for the Soy parliamentary seat. Shollei had pleaded with residents to elect her, stating, "I am asking you humbly to employ me as your woman representative in the next parliament. Give your blessings, support and I will not let you down."
Shollei faces additional challenges, including a court case stemming from her sacking from the Judiciary in 2013 over alleged abuse of office. She and six other judicial officers were charged with irregularly purchasing former Chief Justice Willy Mutunga’s house at a cost of Ksh 310 million and were released on a cash bail of Ksh 600,000.
Shollei will have to compete with other opponents, including Mary Chepseba, a former magistrate, Emily Kogos of Moi University, and Ruth Maraba, a social worker in the county.
The recovered account cited reporting by The Star.
