Sonko, Thang'wa missing as IEBC releases list of gazetted candidates
Former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko (left) and Karugo Thang’wa.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has released a gazette notice of all candidates who will be vying for various positions in the August 9 General Election, just days after the agency was accused of printing ballot papers before releasing the notice.
The gazette notice, which is dated July 1, 2022, has listed four presidential candidates and their running mates. These are Azimio la Umoja’s Raila Odinga, Kenya Kwanza’s William Ruto, George Luchiri Wajackoyah of Roots Party and Waihiga Mwaure of Agano Party.
Conspicuously absent in the notice is Mike Sonko, who is eyeing the Mombasa gubernatorial position, and Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo who was suspected to be Wiper’s preferred replacement for Sonko.
Also missing from the list is Mr Karungo Thang’wa who had been picked as the UDA candidate in the Kiambu senatorial race.
On June 9, Wiper party confirmed that it had submitted a letter to IEBC nominating Mr Mbogo as its gubernatorial candidate for the Mombasa seat but said the agency had failed to act on the letter.
Challenged verdict
Sonko has challenged the verdict given by the IEBC Disputes Resolution Committee to bar him from vying for governor in Mombasa, even as he asked the High Court Mombasa to restrain the electoral agency from gazetting gubernatorial candidates and printing ballot papers, as well as compelling the commission to give them copies of the degrees of all the governor candidates who have been cleared to run in the country.
Mr Thang’wa is also missing from the gazette notice, days after the High Court ordered IEBC to clear him to contest in the Kiambu senate race. IEBC had barred him from contesting on grounds of impeachment because of graft.
Mr Johnson Sakaja, who made headlines over claims of a fake degree, was cleared on June 19, 2022 after IEBC’s Dispute Resolution Committee threw out a petition that was challenging his nomination, stating that it lacked jurisdiction to determine the validity of the senator’s university degree. He is therefore cleared to run proceed in the Nairobi gubernatorial race.
Mr Cleopas Malala, who is aiming to succeed Governor Wycliffe Oparanya in Kakamega, has also been confirmed as a candidate after being cleared by IEBC. A petition had initially been filed challenging his academic qualifications but he was cleared after the United States International University Africa confirmed that his degree is valid.
Arrival of ballot papers
The arrival of ballot papers last week before the release of the gazette notice has been questioned by agents of presidential candidates who have termed it illegal and a move that could lead to the entire electoral process being challenged in court.
IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati admitted that he learnt about the arrival of ballot papers just hours before they were unloaded at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport. He blamed the delay in gazettement on technical hitches at the Government Printer which he said developed while printing photos of candidates.
“We submitted the list of candidates to the Government Printer on June 30. It is a list of 16,098. The Government Printer has been having challenges in finalising printing of the gazette notice. It is bulky, with the data that is in the notice containing things like symbols of candidates,” Mr Chebukati said.
The gazette notice has been released just in time for the Nairobi gubernatorial debates that will be held at the Catholic University of Eastern Africa. Kenyans will get an opportunity to ask questions and tell the candidates what they want addressed in the capital city.
