With the JKUSA elections around the corner, contestants are gradually aligning with the right people and preparing themselves for the bruising contest that is university elections. Elections for the delegates are slated for 11th of February and posters are already doing rounds in JKUAT students WhatsApp groups. In this article I give you a quick glimpse of how things are on the ground concerning the elections; the preparation for the elections, the likely contestants and how they are prepared for the tough battle that lies ahead.
The Elections
With the adoption of the delegate voting system in Kenyan universities thanks to Universities Act of 2016, the election will be run through the delegate model as it has been since 2017. Preparations are already underway in the institution.
Training of security enforcers to oversee the exercise courtesy of JKUSA Electoral Commission is in its final stages. The security enforcers were drawn from the students of the institution. Information for the application of chairperson, commissioner and clerk positions in the Electoral Commission is yet to be communicated.
Candidates
The race for the hotly contested presidential seat is already taking shape and has already attracted four hopefuls; current Academic Affairs Secretary Orinda Odada, Tush, Somo and Huxley. Mike Sagana who was deemed as the heir apparent of the incumbent president, Osoro pulled out of the race after landing a lucrative job at the Office of the Deputy President Of Kenya.
Mike Sagana’s Chief Strategist and right-hand man Komrade Richie who is a big wig in the JKUAT political circles recently did a press briefing informing his supporters that he had decided to quit active university politics.
Komrade Richie and Martin Kimundia are seen to be beneficiaries of Sagana’s success with the latter set to vie for MCA in Njoro in the 2022 elections. Credible sources on the ground intimate that Somo’s camp has already presented a case against Odada’s nomination citing academic incompetence.
The Secretary-General seat seems to be less heated after Victor Ombusi alias Obatalah was disqualified for failing to hand in a letter from his department clearing his name for candidacy. Speculations by political enthusiasts indicate that he had a supplementary and thus cannot vie.
Unofficial reports indicate that James Khaemba popularly referred to as Pine might run unopposed for the Sports Secretary seat. This comes after the incumbent secretary of the docket, Waweru pulled out from the race. Our ears on the ground indicate that he failed to pay the team that catapulted him to the position in the last election.
The race for the Accommodation Secretary is still open with supporters drumming up support for Caroline Atieno alias Atis and Flo. Caroline has received the backing of JKUAT political big fish like Javan. Florence seems to be drawing her support from The Kale Nation and a new entrant in politics who sources intimate that is an unopposed delegate.
The seat for Speaker of JKUSA is also open as no one is yet to declare an interest. Speaker Ndolo according to our source will not be vying for the seat.
