BY SAM ALFAN.
Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) is in big trouble for locking out a presidential candidate despite having a court order.
High court directed IEBC to explain why it locked out independent presidential aspirant Peter Solomon Gichira.
Justice George Odunga gave the national elections agency until tomorrow to file sworn statements regarding requirements that Gichira was unable to fulfill before he was formally locked out of the August 8 General Election.
The IEBC has already appointed veteran lawyer Kamau Karori to challenge Gichira’s quest to run for the presidency on the basis that he was time-barred after failure to present the list of at least 48,000 supporters in electronic format.
The Judge recalled having nullified restrictions imposed by the IEBC on independent presidential candidates on May 17 to present the contentious list of at least 2,000 nominees from 24 counties by way of Microsoft Excel.
Justice Odunga said Gichira was at liberty to file responses to replying affidavits lodged by the EBC to facilitate urgent hearing tomorrow. The deadline for all nominations is on June 9.
In an urgent application, the aggrieved candidate said he was likely to be excluded from participating in the August 8 General Election after IEBC deliberately disobeyed court orders allowing him to submit the contentious papers.
He wants the national elections agency blocked from making any further preparations for the presidential election, including printing of ballot papers, pending the outcome of his petition.
High Court has allowed independent presidential candidate Solomon Gichira to challenge his disqualification by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC).
Justice Odunga will hear the matter Monday after the aggrieved candidate said he was likely to be locked out of the race after IEBC cleared eight aspirants after the two-day exercise in Nairobi on Monday.
Gichira has cried foul that he had been turned away and his candidacy rejected on the basis that he had been time-barred in submitting a list of signatures of at least 48,000 supporters countrywide.
In an urgent application, the aggrieved candidate said he was likely to be excluded from participating in the August 8 General Election after IEBC deliberately disobeyed court orders allowing him to submit the contentious papers.
He wants the national elections agency blocked from making any further preparations for the presidential election, including printing of ballot papers, pending the outcome of his petition.
Two weeks ago, Justice George Odunga nullified restrictions imposed on independent presidential candidates to enlist supporters who have no political affiliation. Similarly, the court outlawed the requirement by IEBC that independent presidential aspirants submit signatures of their 2,000 nominees from 24 Counties through electronic format.
