The ruling Jubilee party has nominated Isaac Ngugi to replace late Senator Victor Prengei in the Senate.
Senator Prengei, who was nominated to the Senate in 2017 to represent the youth, died in a road accident in Nakuru on August 16. He came from the minority Ogiek community.
Speaking to a local publication, Jubilee Secretary General Raphael Tuju said the decision to pick Ngugi, who comes from Nyandarua, was made after the Ogiek community’s favourite candidate Peter Cheruiyot was locked out by Kenya’s electoral body due to old age.
“The Ogiek community wanted us to appoint Cheruiyot of which we did but unfortunately, he was locked out by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) due to age. The Commission requires that in that docket, we pick someone who is aged 35 years and below,” Tuju explained.
Read: Nominated Senator Victor Prengei Dies After Road Accident in Nakuru
He defended the party for picking Ngugi arguing that the position was not for a minority but for the youth.
“As a party, we, therefore, had the responsibility to pick the next youthful person who happens to be Ngugi,” he added.
Kahawa Tungu understands that Cheruiyot, 38, has since been appointed by the Jubilee party as one of its senior directors.
The Ogiek community and a section of the political class had urged the Jubilee leadership led by President Uhuru Kenyatta to replace Prengei with a youth from the minority tribe.
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