Deferred polls: IEBC invites candidates to discuss new dates
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chairman Wafula Chebukati has convened a meeting of candidates from areas where elections were deferred amid threats to sue the polls agency for damages.
The meeting to be held at the Bomas of Kenya in Nairobi on Monday morning will discuss the possible dates of conducting the elections.
According to an invitation letter seen by Nation.Africa which was addressed to former Kitui Rural MP Charles Mutisya Nyamai, the candidates have been asked to attend the consultative meeting without fail.
This is the first time Mr Chebukati is meeting the candidates who were aggrieved by suspension of elections occasioned by a photo mix-up in the printed ballot papers.
In Kitui Rural Constituency, the contest had attracted only two candidates - the incumbent MP David Mwalika Mboni and former area MP Mr Nyamai.
Speaking separately to the Nation.Africa, the two candidates threatened to sue IEBC for the damages they had suffered from the cancellation of the election.
They said the cancellation was a huge setback in their quest to lead the constituency.
Mr Nyamai who was running on United Democratic Alliance (UDA) said he had campaigned vigorously to recapture the seat he lost to Mr Mwalika of the Wiper party in 2017.
"It's a huge setback and IEBC is fully culpable for this mix-up. We're forced to incur extra mobilisation costs to indefinitely keep the campaign structures active because the Election Day is yet to be set," Mr Nyamai said.
Mr Nyamai said initially the commission had set an August 23 date which was also cancelled. He said his campaign mobilisers, supporters and even polling station agents were disappointed by the turn of events, after months of door-to-door campaigns.
On his part, Mr Mwalika had similar complaints saying the campaigns were financially draining.
Both candidates said they are ready to square it out once a new election date is announced by the electoral agency.
The photo mix-up was first noticed on the morning of August 9 at Kwa Vonza Primary School when voters were issued with only five ballots instead of six.
The fresh election is expected to attract the attention of the leading political coalitions - Azimio and Kenya Kwanza.
Mr Nyamai is a close political ally of President-elect William Ruto while Mr Mwalika, who ran on a CCU ticket in 2017 before defecting to Wiper, is banking on his party leader Kalonzo Musyoka to campaign for him.
With the declaration of Dr Ruto as President elect, the political dynamics have suddenly changed with the by-election being seen as a contest between Azimio and Kenya Kwanza coalitions.
According to former Kwa Vonza MCA John Kisangau Mbaki, the UDA candidate Mr Nyamai stands a better chance of winning the election in the context of unfolding national politics, which may influence voter considerations.
Both candidates have a background in Finance training with Mr Nyamai being a Certified Public Accountant and a former Finance Director at Coca-Cola Kenya and Kenya Railways before joining elective politics.
Mr Mwalika worked at National Treasury and National Housing Corporation before his election in 2017.
