The National Elections Board of the United Democratic Alliance has scheduled fresh grassroots elections in at least 110 polling stations across Mombasa and Tana River counties.
The ruling party said it had reviewed the results of the elections conducted on April 11 and 12 in 22 counties and decided to repeat the polls in the two counties on May 17, 2025.
“The National Elections Board of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA) hereby issues a notice of repeat grassroots elections to all party members in Tana River and Mombasa Counties,” reads part of the notice.
The notice was posted on UDA’s official X account on May 13, 2025, as the party moved to address concerns of massive rigging during the earlier exercise.
"Following the review of the initial exercise, the National Elections Board has resolved to conduct a repeat of the grassroots elections on May 17, 2025, from 9:00 AM to 3:PM in Tana River and Mombasa,'' reads the notice by NEB led by Anthony Mwaura.
On April 11, UDA held polls in Kitui, Machakos, Makueni, Kajiado, Turkana, Kisii, Nyamira, Bungoma, Migori, Siaya, and Kisumu.
Elections in Garissa, Wajir, Mandera, Marsabit, Isiolo, Taita Taveta, Kwale, Mombasa, Kilifi, Lamu, and Tana River were held on April 12.
This latest move follows the first phase of grassroots elections held in April 2024 in Nairobi, Narok, West Pokot, Busia, Homa Bay, and Garissa counties.
UDA had previously faced several challenges during that first phase, including technical issues that forced postponements.
Despite the process costing the party up to Sh200 million, further elections were delayed due to nationwide anti-government protests in June 2024, sparked by the controversial Finance Bill 2024.
In Nairobi, the grassroots elections were postponed twice, with the final round eventually scheduled for June 21, 2024.
The upcoming Mombasa and Tana River polls come just days after Nyali MP Mohamed Ali threatened to quit UDA over alleged interference in the elections in his county.
The lawmaker insists that UDA, like any political party, belongs to the people.
He claims that the party elections have already been compromised.
“Despite this disheartening development, I want to assure all my loyal supporters that we will not be deterred. When the right moment comes, we will confront this issue head-on,” he said.
