In a stunning revelation, former United Progressive Party (UPP) hopeful Jermaine Kentish has publicly detailed the strategic miscalculations and alleged institutional manipulation that led to his decisive defeat in the St George Constituency branch primary. The January 19th, 2026 election at Potters Primary School saw only 13 members cast votes, with Kentish receiving just 2 votes against Kelton Dalso’s 9 and Kem Riley’s 2.
Kentish disclosed that his campaign strategy involved a tactical delay in delegate registration, designed to prevent opponents from gauging his support base and to eliminate opportunities for party leadership to influence his delegates. This approach was born from bitter experience during his 2020 primary showdown with incumbent MP Algernon ‘Serpent’ Watts, where despite registering over 60 delegates and investing thousands of dollars, he secured only 22 of 96 votes cast—a outcome he attributes to behind-the-scenes manipulation by party power brokers.
Determined to avoid repeating history, Kentish registered more than thirty individuals in the final week before the primary, supplemented by approximately twenty additional committed supporters. So confident was he of victory that he arrived at the event in a three-piece suit with a pre-rehearsed victory speech.
However, the political landscape shifted dramatically when party officials Jason Mannix and Chaku Waku Symester disqualified the majority of voters days before and during the primary night, citing a previously unknown rule requiring financial membership status from two weeks prior to voting—a regulation none of the candidates had been aware of and which hadn’t been enforced during the 2020 primary.
Kentish contextualized these events within what he describes as a predetermined outcome, referencing a New Winthorpes Primary School event three months earlier where sitting MP Watts and party leaders including Mr. Pringle had already introduced Kelton Dalso as their preferred candidate for St George.
Despite the setback, Kentish concluded with a defiant message to the UPP establishment, declaring his resilience and unwavering determination to continue his political journey, using the metaphorical language of overcoming adversity and emerging stronger.