URP WILL NOT HAVE CANDIDATE IN KERICHO

This emerged as Deputy Pesident William Ruto's United Republican Party announced it will not field a candidate in Kericho but would back a Jubilee Party candidate. Jubilee has only one MP in the National Assembly. The Kericho Senatorial seat fell vacant after its Senator Charles Keter was appointed Energy and Petroleum Cabinet Secretary by President Uhuru Kenyatta last week. The scramble for the impending by-election for the Kericho senator's seat has begun in earnest with political heavyweights throwing their weight to succeed Keter. Those who have set their eyes on the seat include former Health minister and two times Buret MP Paul Sang and former Roads Minister Franklin Bett, who dethroned Sang as the Bureti MP in 2002.
Immediate former ODM executive director Magerer Langat has also shown interest for the seat. Bett, who served in the 10th Parliament as the MP for Bureti, opted not to defend his seat in 2013 and later announced that he had retired from active politics. Keter is battling to control Kipsigis politics with his political friend turned foe Bomet Governor Isaac Ruto leading a battalion opposed to him. A by-election shall then be held within 90 days of the occurrence of the vacancy.