The battle for Huruma Ward in Uasin Gishu county has intensified ahead of the August 9 polls, with Azimio la Umoja set to square it out with Deputy President William Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance (UDA).

Chances of Azimio clinching the seat, held by Lucy Chomba (of Jubilee, but who recently decamped to UDA), have been boosted by the withdrawal of ODM candidate Andrew Sure in favour of Jubilee’s Kimani Wanjohi. 

This is in the spirit of the ‘handshake’ between President Uhuru Kenyatta and ODM chief Raila Odinga.

Mr Wanjohi unsuccessfully vied for the seat in 2017, finishing second. “The decision was reached after wide consultations between ODM and Jubilee. We are pleased that Sure has agreed to support me,” Wanjohi said.

There were fears that should ODM and Jubilee field candidates, UDA would have an easy win in the cosmopolitan ward of over 30,000 voters. 

“We want to deliver Huruma and other elective seats in Uasin Gishu to Azimio. We don’t want to waste votes through many parties,” said Sure.

Uasin Gishu county Jubilee interim chairman Francis Muya said Azimio would also field candidates in Langas and Kapsoya, among other wards in the DP’s backyard.

Ms Chomba, who took the reins through a by-election after the death of her husband Peter, has since decamped to UDA and will battle it out for the party’s ticket with James Maina Wachira and Patrick Chelimo.

The late Chomba was serving his second term, having been elected on a Jubilee ticket. He previously served as a councillor in the defunct Eldoret Municipal Council.

During his funeral service in 2019 at Huruma Grounds, the DP endorsed his wife to replace him. “Democracy is good but at times it is good to be sensitive to situations like this one,” said the DP at the time.

During the by-election, Ms Chomba garnered 979 votes against Francis Maina’s 508 and Lucy Njamba’s 213. There were more than 15 aspirants.