NAIROBI, Kenya, Mar 23- A new deal brokered by Deputy President William Ruto has seen former Kakamega Senator Dr. Boni Khalwale shelf his ambitions to become the next governor of Kakamega.
Instead, Khalwale will go for the Senatorial seat, a position he once held but failed to recapture in 2017.
“All of us have to make concessions for us to be able to deliver this country to where Kenyans want it to be,” DP Ruto said.
“Both candidates were formidable candidates for the seat. These two leaders have on their own motion engaged into discussions and escalated them to us and we have agreed with them.”
Under the Kenya Kwanza coalition, Senator Cleophas Malala will vie the gubernatorial seat.
Malala is a member of the Amani National Congress (ANC), led by Musalia Mudavadi.
Mudavadi is also said to have played a critical role during the negotiations between the two leaders.
Ford Kenya leader Moses Wetangula was also involved in the negotiations.
The move is set to ease tension between Ruto’s United Democratic Alliance and ANC, ahead of the party primaries.
A similar deal is set to be brokered in Kiambu County, where almost all gubernatorial candidates led by former governor William Kabogo have joined the Kenya Kwanza coalition.
Other contestants include Senator Kimani Wamatangi, Chama Cha Kazi leader Moses Kuria and former governor Ferdinard Waititu.
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