Dida and Japheth Kaluyu to join repeat poll

Former presidential candidates Mohamed Abduba Dida and Japheth Kaluyu have announced they will be contesting for presidency in the repeat election set for October 26.

This follows the Wednesday, October 11 ruling by the High Court directing the electoral commission to include Thirdway Alliance presidential candidate Ekuru Aukot on the ballot for the repeat election.

Aukot had moved to the High Court seeking orders compelling the Independent Electoral and Electoral Commission (IEBC) to allow him to contest in the poll where only two candidates – Jubilee Party’s Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga – had been cleared to vie.

Delivering the ruling in Aukot’s case, Justice John Mativo noted that the Supreme Court ordered for a fresh election, hence, other candidates ought to have been allowed to contest in the poll.

This ruling emboldened Dida and Kaluyu to make a second try at the presidency despite both of them having suffered resounding defeats in the last election.

Announcing his decision to rejoin the race, Kaluyu argued that though he did not challenge the outcome of the previous election in court, he had opposed IEBC’s decision to lock them out and only allow President Kenyatta and Raila to contest.

Meanwhile, legal teams for President Kenyatta and IEBC have indicated they will be appealing the decision to allow Aukot participate in the election.

In the meantime, the electoral commission and the entire country finds itself in a quagmire in light of the latest political unfoldings that began on Tuesday after Raila announced his decision to pull out from the October 26 election regardless of a legal deadline requiring the repeat election to occur before November 1.

The IEBC is yet to announce its next step even as the country stares at a political and constitutional crisis.