Former CS Charles Keter Concedes After Defeat in UDA Kericho Gubernatorial Primaries

Former Cabinet Secretary Charles Keter has conceded defeat after failing to capture the UDA party ticket to vie for the Kericho governor’s seat.

Keter, a close ally of Deputy President William Ruto, suffered a heavy loss at the hands of Dr. Erick Mutai in the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) party nominations held on Thursday across 38 counties.

Mutai clinched the coveted ticket after garnering 126,038 votes against Keter’s 60,342 votes. Lily Ngok got 9,377 votes while James Sang came in fourth with 2,987 votes.

In a statement on Saturday, Keter lauded Kericho residents for voting peacefully in the highly-contested nomination exercise.

“I thank the great people of Kericho for turning up to vote peacefully in the just concluded nominations exercise. Congratulations to all winners I wish them all the best,” Keter stated.

“To all my supporters, agents, and teams, I convey my appreciation and gratitude for your support. God bless you and God bless Kericho.”

By securing the ticket, Mutai inched closer to succeeding outgoing Kericho Governor Prof. Paul Chepkwony, who has served for two terms.

Keter, a former Senator for Kericho, resigned from the Cabinet in February to contest for the seat. He served as the cabinet secretary for Devolution as well as Energy.