Bomet County is among the 24 counties picked countrywide where political debates for the most contested seats in the upcoming August general election will be held.
This is according to the Media Council of Kenya technical working committee tasked with overseeing localized political debates in the country.
The 15 members committee chaired by Journalists for Human Rights programme manager Sammy Muraya was gazetted on April 4 this year and tasked to work for six months by Ministry of ICT, Innovation and Youths Affairs Cabinet Secretary Mr. Joe Mucheru.
The committee was tasked with assessing the ability of community and vernacular media to execute governorship, senatorship and woman representative debates ahead of the August polls.
Speaking to Kenya News Agency (KNA) in Bomet, Mr. Stephen Kangogo who is the chairperson of the technical working group conceptualizing the idea in the three South Rift counties of Bomet, Kericho and Narok affirmed that they were on the ground to lay the foundation for the anticipated debates before elections.
“We are part of the technical working committee appointed by CS Joe Mucheru. We are working in the South Rift and we are here to organize the logistical part of these debates through the guidelines provided by Media Council of Kenya,” explained Kangogo.
“We have met different stakeholders which include vernacular and local stations, local administration and prospective debate venues to discuss and agree on grounds and date when these debates will take place,” he said.
Kangogo added that for the 47 counties in the country, only 24 were picked based on different factors ranging from gender, marginalization, and political party contest among others.
The gubernatorial contest in Bomet has attracted the attention of many within and outside the county as people are closely following the rivalry of the two top contestants.
The contest between the two heavyweights the academician and the incumbent governor Professor Hillary Barchok and the implied politics professor and Chama cha Mashinani Party leader and former governor Isaac Rutto is expected to be tough.
Barchok will be defending his seat on a United Democratic Party (UDA) ticket.
However, the seat has attracted three contestants including former Bomet County Jubilee chairman Benard Mutai who will be seeking the seat through ANC.
The three aspirants are expected to square off in the debate which will be the first one of its kind in the county courtesy of Media Council of Kenya.
The Bomet gubernatorial debate is anticipated to take place on June 15th at the Bomet University College upon confirmation by the technical working committee and it will be aired live by all local media houses in the region.
By Lamech Arisa
