Deputy President William Ruto has suffered a blow ahead of the Matungu by-election after seven MP aspirants backed out of his United Democratic Alliance (UDA) linked party. The seven aspirants failed to drop their bid in favour of the party's preferred candidate following a closed-door meeting in Nairobi. A gathering was convened on Thursday, January 7 with the aspirants meeting former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale and his former Machakos counterpart Johnston Muthama as they were promised the party's backing. Deputy President William Ruto and former Kakamega Senator Boni Khalwale during the requiem mass for Adelaide Khalwale at Malinya village in Ikolomani, Kakamega County on October 10, 2019. The seven aspirants that attended the meeting include former Constituency Development Fund (CDF) committee chairman Khamis Athman, Murunga's widow, Christabel, former constituency manager Odanga Pesa.

Source: Daily Nation January 11, 2021 05:14 UTC