The battle for Uasin Gishu county Woman Rep seat has intensified with the incumbent Gladys Boss Shollei having an uphill task in shrugging off absentee tag.

Shollei, who was elected on a  Jubilee party ticket in 2017 is facing stiff competition to defend her seat in the August 9 polls with at least four aspirants plotting to unseat her.

She, has, however come under praise in some quarters for being an ardent defender of United Democratic Alliance and Deputy President William Ruto, especially by using her background in law to defend the party when facing legal battles. 

Among those she will battle it out with for UDA ticket during party primaries slated for tomorrow include Rael Lelei who came second in 2017, Hellen Ruto and Catherine Kubania alias ‘Wa Kirui’.

In an interview with People Daily, Lelei dismissed claims that Shollei has been fighting for the DP at the national level. “All of us are supporters of UDA and the Deputy President. That does not mean we should abdicate our responsibilities at the grassroot,” she said.

Youthful aspirant boasts of having rolled out girl-child empowerment programmes in the region.

The ‘Don’t Touch’ initiative aims at among others, curbing rampant teenage pregnancies and issuing sanitary towels to school-going girls.

“If elected, I will push for legislation to ensure funds are set aside to schools for the purchase of sanitary pads. This will also boost enrollment and curb rampant school dropouts,” she said. 

She has also pledged to facilitate the establishment and registration of women groups and Saccos and link them to financial institutions. “I will also create a data base of all youths who dropped out of school, and assist them to get life skills and nurture their talents,” Lelei said. 

National limelight

Kubania who goes by the slogan ‘Mama Ni Bidii” has also vowed to unseat Shollei, daring her to show what she has done in her five years in office. “As a voter in Uasin Gishu county, I only see her (Shollei) on TV during interviews. That is why I want to fire her as a voter,” claimed Kabana.

Shollei has, however, defended herself from the absenteeism claims, arguing that despite her national limelight, she has also accomplished a lot.

Shollei is credited for her efforts to empower women, who were chang’aa brewers and helped them earn a sustainable income from other  income generating activities. 

“The next phase should include greater value addition at the county level, innovation and pursuit of self-reliance,” Shollei said.