Jacob Tanui, "How we managed the Tuga Tai campaigns"

Jacob Tanui at a campaign event

As narrated by Jacob Tanui

The chair of the tugatai campaign team finally opened up on how they successfully managed the gubernatorial campaign for Stephen Sang. It wasn't a walk in the park as some would want to imagine. "It was an interesting affair that required resources, commitment and long working hours," Jacob Tanui.

The seven point campaign pillars

Shared exclusively by Tanui

The whole thing revolved around this small piece of  paper which I constantly had and discussed with my boss daily. We chose not to brand our vehicles as a show of humility. We wanted to conduct campaigns that were more about the people rather than one that focused more on our candidate. We are all aware of the humble beginnings of our governor elect. He came from humble background and has always strived to remain so despite his blessings.

I thank the governor elect wakili Stephen Sang. He was the force that kept us together during the whole process. He remained steadfast in his resolve towards a win. Though young, I have never seen anyone so resolute about what he believes in like Sang. He is an embodiment of hardwork, strong resolve and self belief! His prowess in managing our campaign was out of this world. He is an impressive orator and would easily fit in with the electorates, which made it easier for our team!

A typical day would begin by prayers for our team. Basically this is what kept us going. We would then embark on making and receiving calls on behalf of the team. This kept us in touch with our supporters at all times. We had a strong network that spread throughout Nandi county to the remotest village there is in our county.

We would then embark on our tours which covered a great deal of the county. Owing to the youthfulness of our team and the resolve we had, we would be able to cover large parts of the county in a single day. At times we would cover up to three sub counties in a day. I believe this kept us ahead of our strong opponents. I would love to thank our drivers  for the relentless effort they put up.

It is the encouragements from our supporters that kept us going stronger day by day. Without them we wouldn't be able to achieve the much we did. They kept on urging us to continue with the race despite the enormous challenges both logistical and financial that we faced. I thank the people for their prayers and support throughout the campaigns.

One of the automobiles 

In the campaign trail

We had never carried out a campaign of such magnitude before, but my resolve and that of the team was to ensure that we successfully conquer new territory each day we embarked on a campaign mission.

All the while, we faced a great challenge from our competitors. Someone like the very abled Henry Kosgey who is our political father had strong political networks within the county. Cleophas Lagat the incumbent governor was also a formidable force not forgetting Mr Felix Koskei who had put up a strong team. We knew we had to face our challengers and we did just that by putting up a brave face and hitting the ground running. On our part we had the undying support from the youths who eventually made a bold political statement.

It is with utmost pleasure that I would love to acknowledge these true heroes who managed our day to day activities, they made it possible for our team to shine and make jubilee shine in Nandi

-Stanley Baliach who was in charge of our route management. Ensured that we got the whole route program on time
-Donald Giroaeng and his team who was in charge of Logistics
-Timon Arap Lel deputised by Fred Kosgey who made sure we had the best Agents and Sub Agents for our cause
-Nehemiah Chumba Chemogos who made sure our posters and manifestos reached every corner of our county
-Gideon Kiprop who was in charge of photography and communication ensured that every moment of our campaign was captured and shared by our supporters through the various social media platforms
-Dr Kiplimo Lagat a strong propagator of our message on various WhatsApp platforms and social media
-Tuga Tai song which was a culmination of the concerted effort by our Boss Mr Sang, Donald Giroaeng and myself. We picked it after sampling about six songs. It was the best!
-Washington Keter our prayer warrior and his team
-The clergy notably Father Godious who always remembered us in prayers.
-our drivers and the entire crew that made our campaign seem entirely flawless

All these won't be possible without the input of the jubilee party which we all subscribe to. They made sure that we had a smooth and credible election under the stewardship of non other than our very able president H.E Uhuru Kenyatta and DP William Ruto.

I thank you the Nandi people for believing in us despite the challenge we faced, you did us proud. You made us emerge winners due to your belief in the tugatai agenda of transformation. You did your part and now its for our able jubilee governor elect Stephen Sang and his team to walk the talk. As we move to the homestretch, i would love to assure the residents that our resolve will be much stronger, you'll see a more vibrant and resolute team ready to sweep every corner of our county as we spread the Tuga Tai message of transformation. Remember a win for Tuga Tai is a win for Nandi.

We intend to give jubilee a clean sweep on all the elective seats in Nandi this coming elections. We urge all the residents of Nandi to join us in this cause. Nandi is a jubilee zone and it is our wish to keep it that way
Tuga Tai!

Jacob Tanui

 Chair Tuga Tai movement