The Uasin Gishu gubernatorial debate was full of flare as the three candidates seeking the county's top seat went for each other's jugular in a gloves-off face-off.
The debate, moderated by Citizen TV anchors Waihiga Mwaura and Mashirima Kapombe on Sunday, July 3, pitted United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, Jonathan Bii, Independent candidate Kiprop Bundotich Buzeki and United Democratic Movement (UDM) candidate, William Kirwa.
However, for the better part of Monday morning, July 4, the UDA candidate was the subject of discussion, eliciting debate from both proponents and critics who weighed in on his policies.
The discussions brought to the fore, the moniker Koti Moja that has become synonymous with his campaigns in the recent past.
Speaking during a past interview, Bii noted that the Koti Moja reference came from his rivals who used it to demean him in an attempt to curtail his political bid.
The politician alluded that his opponents would make fun of him for having one jacket during campaigns as opposed his rivals who splashed money and rode on choppers to various rallies.
He noted that the scheme by his opponents to coerce him into shelving his political ambitions bore no fruits as it lit up a fire in him to prove his doubters wrong.
He also noted that the attacks embodied the hustler narrative that resonates with the common mwananchi- exemplified in UDA's bottom-up economic narrative.
“We have accepted it and owned the name and we are happy it is resonating well with the ordinary people who identify themselves with our ideals,” as quoted by People Daily.
The term has since taken a life of its own as Uasin Gishu residents usually carry worn-out jackets as a way of identity and support for Bii's aspirations.
During the gubernatorial debate, Bii noted that he would create an enabling environment for investors and transform the county into an ideal industrial hub.
He also promised value addition for farmers to reap from the sector.
"I will ensure enough money is injected into the cooperatives, and staff are well trained, for them to run efficiently," he stated.
