Race for State House begins as Raila Odinga presents papers

The National Super Alliance (Nasa) flagbearer Raila Odinga at a past event. Mr Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka will lead the pack of candidates to submit their nomination papers to the IEBC on May 28. PHOTO | FILE | NATION MEDIA GROUP

What you need to know:

  • It was a dream cut short for 10 Kenyans after the IEBC knocked them off the list, only shortlisting eight of the aspirants.
  • By 6.30 pm on Saturday, IEBC was still holed up in a meeting with some of the disgruntled lot led by Dr Kaluyu and Mr Owoko.
  • The shortlisted will present the papers to the agency chair Wafula Chebukati on May 28 and 29 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.
  • Some of the candidates not in the shortlist hit back at the IEBC, saying they were unfairly locked out and will challenge the IEBC’s decision.

The race for State House officially begins on Sunday when candidates start presenting their nomination papers to the electoral agency and the official campaigns for the high-stakes August 8 polls begin.

However, it was a dream cut short for 10 Kenyans after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) knocked them off the list, only shortlisting eight of the aspirants.

The 10 who were locked out are Musungu Amram Inyambuku of the Maendeleo Democratic Party, and independent candidates Nazlin Umar, Stephen Owoko, Peter Gichira, Michael Orenge, Muthiora Kariara, Japhet Kaluyu, Peter Osotsi, David Munga, and Erastus Masira.

Mr Munga and Mr Muthiora had on Saturday announced that they had relinquished their bids and backed former Cooperatives minister Joe Nyagah, while the name of Kalonzo Musyoka, who had been listed as the Wiper Party presidential candidate, was removed from the list, as he is Mr Raila Odinga’s running mate.

SUBMIT REQUIREMENTS

“Some of them just failed to submit any of the requirements we needed. No signatures, no nothing,” IEBC commissioner Roselyne Akombe said.

“Some of them had the signatures, alright, but did not have the other required documents that are necessary before we can give the go-ahead and ask them to present nomination papers.”

By 6.30 pm on Saturday, IEBC was still holed up in a meeting with some of the disgruntled lot led by Dr Kaluyu and Mr Owoko.

There was confusion, with sources at IEBC saying they had added two more people to the list of the shortlisted candidates, names that had not been released hours after the three went to the Anniversary Towers offices.

The shortlisted will present the papers to the agency chair Wafula Chebukati on May 28 and 29 at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre.

COLLECTION OF SIGNATURES

The National Super Alliance (Nasa) flagbearer Raila Odinga and his running mate Kalonzo Musyoka will lead the pack of candidates to submit the papers on Sunday between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm, on a day when four candidates will also present their documents.

President Uhuru Kenyatta and his running mate William Ruto have been scheduled to present their papers to Mr Chebukati, who is the presidential elections returning officer, on Monday.

On Sunday, Dr Akombe said that the list of the candidates could have been thinner were it not for a ruling that allowed candidates a free hand in the collection of at least 48,000 signatures (at least 2,000 from each of the majority of the 47 counties) outside their parties.

Mr Justice George Odunga on Saturday declared as unlawful section 29(2) of the Elections Act, which requires that the persons who nominate an independent presidential candidate shall not be members of any political party, giving a huge relief to the independent candidates.

NULLIFIED REQUIREMENT

The court also nullified the requirement issued by the IEBC on May 17 that presidential aspirants submit their nomination signatures by way of Microsoft excel.

Section 29(1) of the Elections Act which requires that the persons who nominate a presidential candidate to be members of the candidate’s political party was also nullified.

On Saturday, some of the candidates not in the shortlist who spoke to the Nation hit back at the IEBC, saying they were unfairly locked out and will challenge the IEBC’s decision.

Ms Umar insisted that she will present her papers to the commission on May 29 at 2.30 pm, the same time President Kenyatta is scheduled to deliver his papers.

“IEBC is acting in violation of a court order and a discrimination of my constitutional order to run for office. They did not give me forms to collect signatures even after I got an order asking them to do it,” Ms Umar told the Nation on the phone.

REQUIRED SIGNATURES

Dr Kaluyu on Saturday said that he had sought out Mr Chebukati on his omission from the list, claiming he had submitted the required 48,000 signatures and any other requirement needed of him.

“I am extremely disappointed. I submitted the signatures and now they just shortlist people with absolutely no communication at all. Nothing. They should have said why they did not shortlist us,” Dr Kaluyu said.

Mr Owoko, another independent candidate, said that he had not presented signatures to the IEBC but will challenge the decision to knock him out in court.

“We needed a ruling on how we should make this list and I could not present them until we had an interpretation. Now that a court has ruled in our favour, IEBC cannot then go ahead to block me again,” said Mr Owoko.

Today, Thirdway Alliance Kenya presidential candidate Dr Ekuru Aukot will be the first to present his papers to Mr Chebukati at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, between 9 and 10 am.

NASA LEADER

He will be followed by Mr Mohammed Abduba Dida of the Alliance for Real Change between 10.15 am and 11.15 am, with Mr Odinga coming in between 11.30 am and 12.30 pm.

After the presentation of the papers, the Nasa leader is scheduled to address a rally at the Jacaranda Grounds immediately after.

Mr Justus Juma of the Justice and Freedom Party will close the day today at 2.15 pm.

On Monday, Kenyatta University lecturer Prof Michael Wainaina, an independent candidate, will be the first to meet the IEBC chairman at between 9 and 10 am, followed by another independent candidate, former Cooperatives minister and State House adviser on infrastructure development, Mr Joe Nyagah, at 10.15 am to 11.15 am.

Former Lugari MP Cyrus Jirongo of the United Democratic Party will be received between 11.30 am and 12.30pm, with President Kenyatta closing the day at between 2.15 pm and 3.15 pm.

DEGREE CERTIFICATE

The presidential candidates will, in the meeting with Mr Chebukati, be required to bring with them a degree certificate, a copy of the campaign schedule, a passport size photograph (JPEG format, not more than 1MB, with a white background, 1028 x 768 pixels), a Sh200,000 cheque in the name of the commission, all without which a candidate will not be cleared.

If the details are okay, Mr Chebukati will issue the candidate with a nominations certificate on the spot.

If he decides that the paper is invalid, the aspirant will be asked to rectify the mistake.