Education rule that nearly cost a hundred MPs their careers

Nearly one hundred legislators in the Tenth Parliament were nearly locked out of seeking re-election last year – thanks to the educational level rule.

It took threats for legal action and a lot of lobbying, by the affected MPs, for President Mwai Kibaki to decline signing the Statute Law Miscellaneous Amendment Bill 2012 into law. Led by then Kangundo MP Johnstone Muthama, now Machakos Senator, the legislators petitioned the President not to sign the Bill through which Parliament had changed the Elections Act 2011.