Bump in the road? IEBC declines to clear Didas candidacy

Alliance for Real Change Presidential Candidate Abduba Dida may have to sit out the August General Election for failing to submit proper documentation to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries commission (IEBC).

The poll body declined to clear Dida’s candidature Sunday as he presented his nomination papers at an exercise held at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre, Nairobi.

IEBC chairperson Wafula Chebukati has now directed Dida to get his degree certificate certified and his self-declaration form authenticated by a commissioner of oaths before 4 pm Sunday, if he wishes to secure his slot on the ballot.

Should he not beat the 4pm deadline, Dida is expected to try his luck once more Monday.

Dida – who was the second candidate to present his paper after Thirdway’s Ekuru Akuot – has however assured his followers that this will not hamper his bid, saying new members of his staff made a technical mistake.

Akuot has been cleared to run for office.

Opposition leader Raila Odinga, independents Japheth Kaluyu and Joe Nyagah are also expected to present their documents to IEBC Sunday.

Five more candidates, including President Uhuru Kenyatta, are expected to submit their documents for verification Monday.

Stringent Measures

Dida, who ran for the same seat in 2013, is amongst the list of presidential hopefuls who have faulted IEBC’s processes for being excessively rigorous.

In a May 23 meeting with the poll body, a section of the presidential candidates asked IEBC to waive some of the requirements for running for the country’s top seat, arguing that these could see a section of them locked out of the race.

IEBC boss Chebukati, however, said that the poll body cannot change the requirements because they are spelled out in Kenya’s electoral laws.