voters line up to vote in a polling center/FILE
BY NAMULONGO PETER,NAIROBI,3RD MAY 2017-Registrar of Political Parties Headquarters in Nairobi continue to receive a huge number of aspirants who lost in the party primaries in the last minute efforts to be cleared for the contest in the August 8 poll.
The candidates are seeking to beat the May 4, 2017 deadline for clearance to run as independent candidates, set by the Independent Electoral and boundaries commission IEBC .
Independent candidates have until Thursday, 4TH MAY to submit their application forms to contest for political offices to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) and allow for processing of their details before the May 8, 2017 deadline.
While quoting the Elections Act 2011, Section 32 and 33, the IEBC further indicated that the aspirants should submit a symbol that does not resemble that of a registered political party before May 8, 2017.
The commission will thereafter gazette the names and the symbols of the independent candidates by May 13, 2017.
Over 1,000 are reported to have submitted applications to the electoral body to run as independent candidates after losing in the parties’ nominations exercise.
Among those who have declared to run as independent candidates is Murang’a Senator, Kembi Gitura, who ditched Jubilee Party a week after he was floored by Kiharu MP, Irungu Kang’ata, in the party primaries.
