The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has disqualified two Senate seat aspirants in Uasin Gishu.
Irene Mutai, the Uasin Gishu County Returning Officer says the two – Abraham Kemei and Edward Yator failed to submit a list of 2,000 supporters as required.
The two were seeking to vie for the seat as independent candidates.
“It is mandatory for aspirants to have 2,000 supporters but the two failed to submit the list,” Mutai said.
She admitted that independent candidates had a challenge meeting the thresholds which had been set higher than those that were vying using registered political parties.
Speaking to Uasin Gishu News on Monday, June 6, 2022, the County Returning Officer said only two candidates have been cleared to be on the ballot in the senate.
They are Uasin Gishu governor Jackson Mandago, a United Democratic Alliance (UDA) candidate, and broadcaster Robert Arap Kemei, vying as an independent.
In the gubernatorial race, three candidates have been cleared, the last one being UDA’s Jonathan Bii Chelilim alias Koti Moja.
Koti Moja was cleared on Monday, June 6, 2022.
United Democratic Movement (UDM) candidate William Kirwa was given a green light on Sunday, June 5, 2022, while an independent candidate Bundotich Zedekiah Kiprop got his clearance on Saturday.
For the Uasin Gishu Woman Member of National Assembly seat, only two aspirants were cleared, with one failing to submit her nomination papers.
“One aspirant Josephine Jeruto did not show up,” said Mutai.
Jeruto vied for the Uasin Gishu Woman MP seat in the 2017 general election on a KANU ticket.
Those cleared are Gladys Boss Shollei, seeking re-election on a UDA ticket, and Dorcas Chebet who is vying under the Azimio la Umoja One Kenya Alliance ticket.
And with IEBC now done with clearing aspirants for the three top seats in Uasin Gishu, the candidates have been asked to ensure they strictly adhere to the code of conduct that they have already signed.
“We have had a discussion with the candidates and agreed that they have to preach peace as the county is bigger than an individual. They had to sign a code of conduct and if they do not follow we are sanctioned to deal with them,” said Mutai.
