Former Cabinet minister Linah Jebii Kilimo has rejected claims that she is still a member of the Azimio coalition. She says she now belongs to President William Ruto's ruling United Democratic Alliance (UDA). She is preparing to run for the Marakwet East parliamentary seat in the 2027 General Election, Capital FM and The Star reported.
Kilimo spoke at Kapyego Grounds in Elgeyo Marakwet County. She said some people were misleading voters about her political home because they feared her return. "I want to make it clear today that I ditched Azimio coalition and I am now a member of UDA," she said, according to Capital FM. She added that her rivals knew what she had done for Marakwet East as MP between 2003 and 2012.
The former MP defended her record. She said she had worked for peace among communities along the Kerio Valley, an area The Star described as volatile. She linked better security there to progress in education and development.
Kilimo also said several people had benefited from jobs she secured while in office. One of them, she said, is the current Marakwet East MP, Kangogo Bowen. According to Capital FM, she said she employed Bowen after he finished his KCSE exams. Neither outlet carried a response from Bowen.
She urged residents to judge leaders on their development records, not on campaign handouts. She also warned them against electing leaders she called incompetent.
The Star reported that professionals in Marakwet East have been pushing for her return. At Chesoi Trading Centre, a group led by Kibor Kiptoo and James Kipkemoi urged voters to reject handouts. They said the Kapsowar-Kilangata road had not changed since Kilimo left office. Kipkemoi praised her tenure for peace efforts and fair sharing of bursaries. He also cited jobs for graduates, scholarships abroad and investment in school laboratories and libraries.
The group said residents held several meetings to persuade Kilimo to run again, under the slogan "Make Marakwet East Great Again." "Majority of our people have had several meetings with Kilimo, convincing her to vie for the seat on a UDA ticket and she has since yielded to pressure," Kibor said, according to The Star.