List of State House seat aspirants shrinks by half

Kalonzo Musyoka is among 22 who met the deadline to submit 2,000 signatures. [Collins Kweyu, Standard]

The number of aspirants seeking to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta has been whittled down by half.

Out of 44 who had presented their nomination, only 22 met yesterday’s 5pm deadline to present signatures to the Independent and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).

Those who complied include Deputy President William Ruto of UDA, ODM Leader Raila Odinga (Azimio la Umoja One Kenya), Kalonzo Musyoka (Wiper) and Jimmy Wanjigi (Safina Party).

Others are Mwangi wa Iria (Usawa kwa Wote Party), Mwaure Waihiga (Agano Party), Prof George Wajakoya (Roots party), Grita Muthoni (Ford Asili) and Justus Juma (Justice and Freedom Party)

The independents include Reuben Kigame, James Kamau, Gibson Nganga, Dorothy Kemuyu, Peter Mumbiko, Duncun Oduor, Faith Ngigi, Erastus Masira and Jeremiah Nyagah. 

The aspirants now have until June 5 to present their nomination papers to the electoral agency before they can have their names approved to be on the ballot come August 9.

Already Dr Ruto, Mr Odinga and Mr Iria have booked dates with IEBC.

The DP has an appointment on June 4, while Azimio and Usawa kwa Wote presidential nominees will appear the following day.

Each aspirant was supposed to submit names, signatures, identity cards or passport numbers of at least 2,000 voters registered in a majority of the counties.

Breach of privacy

They were also required to file an electronic list of supporters in an Excel spreadsheet.

By Monday, most aspirants had not complied, compelling IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati to give them until yesterday.

Some of the independent aspirants had complained that the requirement was a breach of the Data Protection Act. But Mr Chebukati stood his ground.

Under Regulation 18 of the Election (General) Regulations, a person delivering an application for nomination under regulation 16 or 17 shall at least five days to the day fixed for nomination, deliver to the commission a list bearing the names, respective signatures, identity card or passport numbers of at least 2,000 voters registered in each of a majority of the counties.

It further states that the sheets of paper delivered under this regulation shall be serially numbered, in type-script, the wording at the top of Form 12 and be accompanied by copies of the identification document of the voters.

IEBC will verify the submitted forms before their clearance by June 6.

Initially, 55 people had expressed interest in the State House race, but on Monday the commission disqualified 11, including ANC party leader Musalia Mudavadi and National Assembly Speaker Justin Muturi, who failed to submit the names of their running mates by the May 16 deadline. Mr Mudavadi and Mr Muturi have joined Deputy President’s Kenya Kwanza coalition.

Others were Jirani Mzalendo party’s Lengala William, and eight independent candidates Ndekerere Kundu, Katoni Ndambuki, Nyagoko Oanda, Aoko Ongir, Odhiambo Onyango, Ngechu Gichuki, Mbugua Mwaura and Kihuha Waringa.

Meanwhile, the Wiper leader appears set to go all the way to the ballot despite calls to return to Azimio coalition.

The party yesterday sent Secretary General Shakila Abdalla, Mr Musyoka’s running mate Andrew Sunkuli and the Executive Director Dan Kiambi to present the signatures to IEBC.

“We presented 48,000 signatures just in case IEBC knocks off some. The signatures were both in hard copy and in a flash disk,” said Ms Abdall.

On Monday, the Wiper leader sent Mr Sunkuli to represent him at a meeting between the commission and presidential aspirants at the Bomas of Kenya, Nairobi.

On the same day, the party aspirants met at Stoni Athi Resort, Machako, where they asked Mr Musyoka to reconsider his exit from Azimio.   

[Additional reporting by Jacob Ng’etich]