Kenya in an election year is never short of surprises. This is evident in the voter trends and in the numerous factors constantly at play that make it extremely difficult to hazard an early guess at the outcomes.
In 2007, nowhere is this more evident than in the Rift Valley, Kenya’s most expansive and populous province, divided up into 46 constituencies. The province is also responsible for producing the highest number of women nominees this time. 

One such person is Dr. Sally Jemngetich Kosgei, who has her sights set on the Aldai parliamentary seat in Nandi South on an ODM ticket.

The former Head of the Civil Service and Secretary to the Cabinet packs impressive curriculum vitae. A career civil servant who rose to the top of her profession, she is credited with being the steward of the reforms initiated during her tenure spanning between 2001 and 2003 bridging both the presidencies of Daniel arap Moi and Mwai Kibaki.

Once the most powerful woman in Kenya, she has a reputation for thoroughness in her work. In addition, Kosgey is credited by some analysts for getting more women into top civil servant jobs in the country, as well as foreign mission postings around the world.

She counts Tanzania President Jakaya Kikwete and Ugandan President Yoweri Museveni as her former college-mates and has promised to use her vast regional and international contacts for the benefit of Aldai constituents and the rest of Kenya.

As the only woman in a field of 13 aspirants in Aldai, Dr Kosgei is exuding the confidence of a winner although her candidature has upset the Choge family, who have held the Aldai Parliamentary seat since Kenya’s independence in 1963.

Simeon Kiptum Choge, who is the father to the out going MP, Jim Choge held the seat from 1963 to 2002 when he was defeated by his son Jim Choge who was a beneficiary of the spirit of change sweeping through Kenya in 2002.
In two weeks time Dr Kosgei faces Jim Choge of PNU/KANU, his uncle Sammy Choge of Ford K, Evans Maiyo of UDM, Pius Kidombo of ODM-K, Julius Barno of Kenda and Marusin Kogo of Nark-k among other candidates.

As far as things go, the contest is likely to centre on ODM and PNU/KANU, both of which have invested campaign time, energy and resources to woo the vote in their favour in a constituency that is home to a sizeable population of both the Luhya and Nandi communities.

Kosgei, who is fluent in both Kipsigis and Luhya language is a role model to young people and women who are said to be her strongest supporters. When she decided to get into politics, she knew exactly what to do by forming strong allies with women in her constituency. According to Daisy Amdany, the programmes coordinator and board member of the Women’s Political Alliance, it was no surprise that Kosgei was victorious in the ODM party nominations.

“Kosgei has been working consistently with women groups in Aldai and that is why she came through the nominations despite the stiff competition,” says Amdany.

With 3,381,891 registered voters, Rift Valley Province is a veritable hunting ground for political parties seeking a decisive victory in this year’s General Election, and the women’s vote is a large chunk of that. Aldai has a total of 54,320 voters of whom women constitute 25,650 voters.

Even though the battles for presidential, parliamentary and civic seats are expected to be bruising, and Rift Valley’s cosmopolitan makeup is expected to not only give an edge to those who secure it, but also mirror the trends in the rest of Kenya on the voters’ direction.

This is the first time a woman is vying in Aldai and Dr Kosgei becomes the second woman in Nandi since 1974, to compete for a Parliamentary seat after the 24-year-old Philomena Chelagat Mutai was plucked out of her political science class at the University of Nairobi to become the MP for Eldoret North. Mutai was a fiery politician and immensely popular with the electorate, and although she was highly favoured for a second term, her political career suffered when she fled into exile in 1981 to escape political persecution.

During the recent ODM Parliamentary nominations in Emgwen in Nandi North, Mutai campaigned for the only female candidate, Dr Bernadette Tionyi. Although she lost to Elija Lagat, she is now coordinating regional activities for the party in Rift Valley. She was the only woman candidate in Nandi North for ODM just as Dr Kosgei is the only woman in Nandi South.

In Aldai, less than 10 students make it to the university annually and being an ambitious woman, she wants to change this trend. She has already installed computers in more than 20 schools and in her development agenda; she will work to transform her community through education and good infrastructure.

However the horizon is not clear yet for Kosgei. She still has a few more hurdles to surmount: “We cannot ignore the bigger picture of the Moi factor in Rift Valley as well as the reality that voters are wiser and more discerning now,” explains Amdany.

Her critics accuse her of challenging the wishes of former President Daniel arap Moi, who mentored her and the fact that she will be going against the grain on an ODM ticket in a KANU stronghold.

The ethnic factor cannot be taken for granted by all the 13 contestants, but this is further complicated by clan affiliations as well as how effectively the resources for campaigns are put to use.