IEBC names constituency, county returning officers

The preparation for the August General Election moved a notch higher after the electoral commission published names of election officials who will take charge of the exercise.

In a special Kenya Gazette notice, the commission’s boss Wafula Chebukati published the names national returning officer, the 47 county returning officers and the 290 constituency returning officers and their deputies.

Also published, Mr Abdidahir Maalim who will the returning Officer for Kenyan citizens residing outside the Country. He will be deputized by Mr William Tumaini Kahindi.

The notice comes soon after the commission on Wednesday launched the voters register verification, an exercise that gives Kenyans the opportunity to inspect the register to confirm that their data is captured correctly.

The aim of the verification is to give the voters the right to amend their particulars in the event that the captured details have errors, and will have the right to file a claim with the registration Officer at any of the Commission’s office across the country.

In the notice Mr Chebukati announced that constituency returning officers and their deputies are will also serve as registration officers to whom those with issues will file their complaints for the exercise that started on Wednesday May 4 and will run to June 2, 2022.

The naming of the officials opens the way for the start of perhaps the most important week in the election calendar when the commission formally starts the process of clearing candidates for the August 9 poll.

The gazette notice also rekindled the scare when on the eve of the 2017 repeat presidential election, the high court ruled that the gazettement of returning officers and their deputies was done illegally as it had violated the Elections Act.

In a ruling that nearly threw the country into a constitutional crisis, Justice George Odunga observed that the commission did not submit the list of those appointed to political parties and independent candidates at least fourteen days prior to the proposed day of appointment to enable them make any representation.

The Court of Appeal overturned the decision just in time before the polling stations opened.

It is expected that all disputes arising from the recent political party primaries, and which were filed in the Political Parties Disputes Tribunal (PPDT), were settled by Friday, May 6.

Friday was also the last day for political parties to submit their symbols, names and specimen signatures of individuals they have authorized to certify candidates picked at the primaries and those who will be nominated to parliament and county assemblies.

All individuals seeking to contest for various seats as independents have until Monday, May 9 to cease being members of any political party, which is 90 days to the date of the poll, the same day that the commission must approve all symbols for use in the poll by both the political parties and independent candidates.

Independent candidates had until May 2 to submit their symbols, letter of intent to vie and clearance from the registrar of political parties to the commission, which is 21 days before the nomination.

The law requires the commission to publish in the Kenya Gazette names and symbols of independent candidates at least 14 days before the nomination date, which must be done 60 days before the date of the poll.

With the nomination scheduled for the end of the month, the commission has scheduled the gazettment for next week, between May 9 and May 13 once the approval of the symbols, submitted by independent candidates is complete.

The commission will then have until Monday, May 16 to transmit copies of political party signatories, specimen signatures and candidates symbols to returning officers.

Presidential aspirants will submit their nomination papers to the commission from May 30 to June 10, Senate aspirants will have four days, from May 30 to June 2, Members of National Assembly will have three days, between May 30 and June 1.

Gubernatorial aspirants will also have four days from June 7 to 10

A pre-nomination meeting involving the commission and all aspirants will be held between May 16 and 22.