Independent Election and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) Chairman Wafula Chebukati has endorsed four presidential candidates to run for the presidency. At the same time, the chairman of the Electoral Commission sacked 13 candidates who had expressed an interest in running for the top seat.
The four approved include the leader of the Declaration of Unity Raila Odinga and his main rival, the current vice-president William Ruto of the United Democratic Alliance (UDA). The other two are Covenant Party leader David Mwaure Waihiga and Professor George Wajackoyah of the Roots Party.
“All four candidates met the constitutional and legal requirements, and were therefore successful in their quest to run,” Chebukati said.
In a new reshuffle, the Commission revoked the endorsement of Union Party leader Walter Mong’are a week after granting him permission to run.
“After new information and confirmations emerged, it became clear that he did not have the proper academic documents and therefore we had to revoke his endorsement certificate,” Chebukati said after reversing the previous decision.
There have been presidential candidates excluded from the race. According to the Kenyan political analyst Denis Kazungu of the 59 candidates who presented themselves as presidential candidates, only 17 submitted to the demands of the Electoral Commission; and of these candidates, four of them knew the conditions set by the Electoral Commission.
At the moment, says this political scientist, Kenyans now have the opportunity to put the manifestos of the four approved candidates on the scales in order to choose the best leader.
The President of the Electoral and Boundaries Commission, Wafula Chebukati, also called on all candidates to respect the Electoral Code during the campaign.
Source: IWACU Burundi
