The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC), has received names of a total of 55 people intending to vie for the president’s position in the forthcoming general election out of which 14 are political party aspirants, one being a coalition political party aspirant and forty 40 independent candidate aspirants.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati said that for the gubernatorial position, a total of 244 gubernatorial aspirants have applied out of which 167 were political party aspirants and 77 independent candidates.
In a statement to newsrooms on Wednesday, Chebukati said that for the submission of names of aspirants for positions of president, county governor and their deputies, the commission set 16th May 2022 as the deadline for political parties and independent candidates to submit names of persons intending to participate in the August 9th 2022 General Election.
“The presidential and gubernatorial aspirants will be cleared as candidates by the presidential returning officer and the county returning officers respectively,” said Chebukati.
He explained that for registration of aspirants as candidates, the commission’s returning officers shall register candidates to contest for various elective seats in a candidate registration exercise that will run from the 29th of May to 7th June 2022.
“Prior to the said registration, the returning officers shall hold pre-nomination meetings with aspirants to among others, brief them on the requirements and procedures for registration of candidates,” said the chairman.
Chebukati said that in this regard, the commission shall hold a pre-nomination meeting with all the presidential aspirants or their authorized representatives on the 23rd of May 2022 at the Bomas of Kenya from 8:00 am.
“Aspirants for the other elective positions will be informed of dates for pre-nomination meetings by their respective returning officers. In addition, the commission urges aspirants to familiarize themselves with the requirements for registration as candidates by making inquiries at the commission’s County and Constituency offices,” said Chebukati.
Chebukati insisted that the list of supporters of at least 2,000 registered voters in each of the majority of counties for all presidential aspirants must be accompanied by copies of the supporters’ identification document.
“Presidential and gubernatorial aspirants as well as their deputies who hold degrees from foreign universities must obtain recognition and an equation of their academic qualifications from the Commission for University Education before registration as candidates. The Commission will issue further updates on key election activities in its election operation plan,” said Chebukati.
By Joseph Ng’ang’a
