UDA conducts civic education ahead of next month's party polls

UDA party is carrying out a sensitisation exercise for its members and officials in preparations for party elections set for December 9, 2023.

The sensitisation activities are going on in all the 47 counties with teams from the party headquarters leading the exercise.

UDA manager for North Rift Paul Kiprop, who is leading the sensitisation in the region, said the aim is to sensitise members and all aspirants for various seats in the party.

"We want them to understand the election process that will take place including the electronic voting that will be applied," Kiprop said.

He said the elections will take place from the stations to the national level.

Kiprop said they also want to ensure all interest groups including youth, women and people with disabilities will also be accommodated.

The party will elect more than 516,00 officials across the country, with the official saying for every position, gender balance would be observed.

"Where we have a man as chairman then the deputy must be a woman and vice versa," he said.

Kiprop led the sensitisation in Baringo, Trans Nzoia and West Pokot where aspirants called for free and fair party elections.

He said the polls were aimed at ensuring members own the party and hence they would ensure the exercise is carried out in an open and transparent manner.

"We want to strengthen UDA from the villages to the national level and that will be possible through the elections set for December 9," he said.

A week ago, the party completed a three days sensitisation exercise for its county managers in a training hosted in Eldoret.

Party secretary general Cleophas Malala said the polls would be free and fair.

He said there were calls for postponement of the elections but the National Executive Council wound meet and decide.

"For now we have the date set as December 9, but we are listening to all members and the date is not cast in stone," Malala said.

UDA, he said, was going on with internal restructuring to strengthen it ahead of the next elections.

The party has employed all its coordinators who are now designated as county managers across the 47 counties.

They will each have fully operational offices to help in running party affairs effectively.

Kiprop says they would ensure the parry has stone presence including in areas that did not support President William Ruto.