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The electoral agency is this morning expected to meet all the 55 presidential aspirants or their representatives at the Bomas of Kenya for a pre-nomination briefing.

Today’s talks seek to plan on how and when the candidates will present their papers for clearance ahead of August  polls.

During the talks, Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission chair  Wafula Chebukati, the presidential Returning Officer, is expected to brief the State House contenders on the requirements and procedures for registration.

This will then be followed by registration of other candidates to contest for various elective seats, an exercise that will run from May 29 to June 7.  

Elective positions

“The presidential and gubernatorial aspirants will be cleared by the presidential Returning Officer and county Returning Officers respectively during the registration period once their qualification to contest in the respective elective positions are ascertained,” Chebukati said.

Presidential and gubernatorial aspirants will be cleared between May 29 and June 7.

“Prior to the said registration, the Returning Officers shall hold pre-nomination meetings with aspirants, to among others, brief them on the requirements and procedures for registration,” Chebukati added.

In a statement released last week, the IEBC boss said aspirants for other elective positions will be informed of the pre-nomination meetings dates.

It will be interesting to see if Wiper leader Kalonzo Musyoka and his running mate will also attend the meeting at Bomas.

Wiper technically withdrew from Azimio-One Kenya coalition where they had committed to be members.

Registered voters

IEBC Vice-Chair Juliana Cherera clarified that the electoral agency will follow the law –the Political Parties Amendment Act and Constitution in clearing or not clearing Kalonzo to vie for the presidency in the upcoming polls.

Of the 55 presidential aspirants, 14 are political parties’ flag bearers, one from a coalition party and the remaining 40 being independent candidates.

To be cleared to vie for the presidential seat, the aspirants will have to provide the electoral agency with a list of supporters of at least 2,000 registered voters in each of the majority of counties and copies of the supporters’ identification documents. 

In addition, the presidential and gubernatorial aspirants as well as their deputies, who hold degrees from foreign universities, have been asked to obtain recognition and equation of their academic qualification from the Commission for University Education before registration as candidates.

Already, the Chebukati-led commission received 244 gubernatorial aspirants from both political parties and independent candidates.

Of the 244, some 167 are political party aspirants while the other 77 are seeking the coveted seat as independent candidates.