Jimi Wanjigi asks court to bar IEBC from printing ballot papers

Safina party presidential aspirantJimi Wanjigi. [Boniface Okendo, Standard]

A presidential aspirant wants the High Court to block Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) from printing ballot papers until his case challenging the commission to lock him out is heard and determined.

In his application before Justice Jairus Ngaah, Jimi Wanjigi of Safina party argued that the commission failed to include his name for the presidential contest despite meeting all the requirements.

While faulting the IEBC committee for dismissing his case, Jimi said IEBC was violating his political rights and is denying his supporters an opportunity to exercise their right to vote a person of their choice.

He said IEBC’s claim that he has no university degree does not stand as he is currently a Masters degree student at Daystar University.

He accused IEBC of bias adding that it failed to offer him a fairground to tell his side of the story.

He also accused the IEBC tribunal of deciding on issues that were not pleaded in the case. According to him, the tribunal said he had submitted his documents late while the same was not argued before it.

He said that although the tribunal found so, IEBC acknowledged that it had received documents including a list of supporters from 24 counties.

In his case, he sued IEBC chair Wafula Chebukati, IEBC and IEBC’s tribunal.

“The respondents acted irrationally when they ignored overwhelming evidence that the ex parte applicant’s list of supporters was compliant in 24 counties as required by law but still nevertheless proceeded to reject his registration as a presidential candidate,” said Jimi’s lawyer, Willis Otieno.