Nairobi City County recorded the highest number of aspirants at the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) State House forum.
A county-by-county breakdown of the aspirants who attended the forum shows that 12,353 hopefuls drawn from all the 47 counties are seeking to vie on the UDA ticket for various elective positions, ranging from governor and senator to woman representative, MP and MCA.
Nairobi led the pack with 968 aspirants, reflecting the highly competitive nature of politics in the capital, where all elective seats are expected to attract crowded races.
The aspirants from Nairobi included 9 gubernatorial hopefuls, 23 senatorial contenders, 15 candidates eyeing the woman representative seat, 112 parliamentary aspirants and 809 MCA hopefuls.
Nakuru County followed with 691 aspirants, making it one of UDA’s most politically active regions.
It recorded 3 aspirants for governor, 13 for senator, 12 for woman representative, 77 for MP and 586 for MCA positions.
Kiambu County also posted strong numbers, with 518 aspirants expressing interest in various seats.
The county has 3 gubernatorial aspirants, 9 senatorial hopefuls, 6 eyeing the woman representative seat, 31 parliamentary contenders and 469 aspiring MCAs.
Uasin Gishu, President William Ruto’s political backyard, recorded 613 aspirants, one of the highest tallies nationally.
The county has 6 aspirants for governor, 7 for senator, 20 for woman representative, 81 for MP and 499 for MCA.
Baringo County, another key Rift Valley county, registered 615 aspirants, placing it among the top five counties by numbers.
The county stands out for having the highest number of gubernatorial aspirants nationally, with 16 hopefuls seeking the UDA ticket for the top county seat.
Baringo also has 6 senatorial aspirants, 30 women eyeing the woman representative seat, 84 MP aspirants and 479 MCA hopefuls.
A closer look at the gubernatorial race across counties shows intense competition within UDA.
Besides Baringo’s 16 governor aspirants, Kericho recorded 13, Elgeyo Marakwet 10, Nandi 10 and Nairobi 9.
These figures point to fierce internal contests in counties considered politically strategic for the ruling party.
Kericho County, with a total of 590 aspirants, also emerged as one of the most competitive counties.
It recorded 13 aspirants for governor, 11 for senator, 17 for woman representative, 71 for MP and 478 for MCA.
In Elgeyo Marakwet, 356 aspirants attended the forum, including 10 gubernatorial hopefuls, 15 senatorial contenders, 10 woman representative aspirants, 43 MP hopefuls and 278 MCA aspirants.
Nandi County, which had 628 aspirants in total, posted 10 candidates for governor, 15 for senator, 21 for woman representative, 104 for MP and 478 for MCA.
Other counties with notably high numbers included Kiambu, Kakamega (425), Machakos (320), Bungoma (319), Trans Nzoia (311) and Kitui (301), signalling strong grassroots mobilisation by the party in both traditional strongholds and competitive regions.
At the national level, the figures show that the bulk of aspirants are eyeing MCA positions, with 10,230 candidates seeking ward seats on the UDA ticket.
Parliamentary seats attracted 1,372 aspirants, while 323 candidates are contesting woman representative positions.
A total of 279 aspirants are seeking senatorial seats, while 149 hopefuls are eyeing gubernatorial positions.
The large turnout and the spread of aspirants across all counties underscore UDA’s growing national footprint and the challenge the party faces in managing competitive nominations.
President William Ruto, who addressed the aspirants at State House, assured them that the party will conduct free, fair, democratic and credible nominations, urging unity and discipline after the contests.
The numbers, Ruto said, are both a show of confidence in UDA and a test of its internal democracy as it prepares for one of the most competitive nomination exercises in its short history.
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