The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has gazetted a list of candidates cleared to contest in the 2022 General Election.
Johnson Sakaja, Oscar Sudi and Cleophas Malala whose candidatures are being contested in courts of law over academic qualifications are among cleared candidates.
However, former Nairobi governor Mike Sonko and former Kiambu County Executive Committee Member for Youth Affairs Karungo wa Thang’wa are among the candidates not gazetted in the electoral agency’s final list for the August polls.
This comes even after the High Court on Monday last week granted Sonko and Thang’wa a reprieve after lifting orders barring the electoral commission from clearing them.
IEBC failed to clear the former Nairobi Governor, Mike Sonko, to run for Mombasa county’s top job on a Wiper ticket and instead asked the party to front another candidate.
The Kalonzo-led party had also fronted Kisauni MP Ali Mbogo’s name in place of Sonko.
According to the IEBC gazette notice, Mombasa Governor seat will be contested by Bollo Hezron Awiti (Vibrant Democratic Party), Hassan Omar (UDA), Jama Amin Ali (PAA), Mwaruwa Abdalla Hemed (Independent), Nzaro Salim Omar (UPIA), Nassir Abdullswamad Sheriff (ODM) and Omari Said Abdalla (Usawa Kwa Wote Party).
The Kiambu Senate will now be contested by Kigunda Makena (Kenya National Congress), Gathekia Alice Wangari (Tujibebe Wakenya Party), Maara George Jonathan (Jubilee Party), Mugwe John Gathigi (Independent), Waikenda Machel T Karanja (Chama Cha Kazi), Wangongu George Njoroge (Safina party), and Wanjiru Joseph Kamau (Usawa Kwa Wote Party).
The government printer was blamed for the delays in the gazettement of candidates running in the general elections in August.
Earlier, the IEBC had said that by June 30 of this year, it had submitted a list of more than 16,000 candidates for the six elective seats.
The government printer, on the other hand, is alleged to have experienced a mechanical failure, which is what caused the delay in the announcement of the candidates.
Participants in the election expressed worry that the commission was acting illegally by starting the printing of ballots before the candidates had been gazetted.
“We understand there were logistical challenges including the breakdown of the equipment at the government printer and that’s why it has taken a bit of time,” said Head of commission Wafula Chebukati.
The legal counsel for the polling organization, Crispin Owier, emphasized that the gazette notice will be published at the appointed hour because the government printer was working through the night to get it published on schedule.
“As of yesterday, there was a slight problem with the photographs of the candidates. The notice has to come out with the photographs of the candidates so this morning the government printer indicated that it was almost done with the transposition of the photograph,” Owier stated.
