Independent candidates registration deadline extended to Monday

Aspirants who want to vie as independent candidates can now breathe a sigh of relief after the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) clarified that the deadline for registration of independent candidates is Monday, May 8 and not today (Thursday, May 4).

This comes after an aspirant moved to court to seek for an extension of the deadline for registration of independent candidates.

Meanwhile, hundreds of aspirants who lost out in the recent party primaries are still stranded at the office of Registrar of Political Parties in Nairobi seeking clearance to run as independents in the August elections.

The aspirants had earlier demanded for an extension of the registration deadline to ensure they are all cleared to vie as independents for Governorship, Parliamentary and Member of County Assembly seats.

IEBC had earlier on announced the May 4, 2017 deadline for aspirants to submit their application forms to contest for political offices to allow for processing of their details before the May 8, 2017 deadline.

IEBC further indicated that the aspirants must obtain clearance from the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties that requires the independent candidate not to be a member of any party at least three months to the General Election.

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.