Integrity Alliance officials have insisted that electoral body IEBC shouldn’t gazette candidates with integrity issues unless it can counter the assessment provided by EACC. The Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission had listed 106 aspirants who were deemed unfit to vie, among them Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero, and former Council of Governors chairman and Meru Governor Peter Munya.
The Associate Director of Society for International Development, which is part of the National Integrity Alliance, Irungu Houghton, urged the IEBC not to gazette 82 aspirants who are yet to be vetted, hinting that it would be unfortunate if IEBC gazetted the names. He said that IEBC should respect the vetting that has been done by the EACC. “IEBC should not proceed to gazette the 82 names on the list,” he said.
Executive Director for Transparency International, Samuel Kimeu said that the IEBC should not fail Kenyans by allowing the Aspirants to vie for political seats in the August 8th General election. “We have welcomed the assessment done by the EACC which is very important to the public and will enable voters to make informed choices,” he added. Aspirants are required to pass the leadership and integrity test as stipulated by Chapter Six of the 2010 constitution.
Previously, the Society of International Development had publicly named 20 Aspirants who they recommended to be blacklisted from vying for any political seat in the August 8th General elections.
As he concluded, Houghton encouraged Kenyans to elect leaders who have integrity and encouraged voters to exercise vigilance and use their vote wisely.