The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission IEBC has outlined key statutory election timelines that Political Parties and Independent Candidates should observe ahead of the forthcoming General Elections.
Through a public notice on the Commission’s website, political parties intending to participate in the upcoming General Elections have until Saturday 9th April 2022 to submit to the Commission a membership list certified by the Office of the Registrar Political Parties (ORPP).
The same parties have until the same date to submit to the Commission the names of Aspirants, dates and venues of the nominations.
The notice goes further to state that nomination exercises across the various political parties have a Friday 22nd April 2022 deadline. This time-frame also includes the resolution of intra-party disputes emanating from the nomination exercise, after which political parties will have until Thursday 28th April 2022 to submit names of persons selected to contest in the forthcoming General Elections.
Apart from the aspirants’ lists, parties will also need to provide to the commission on or before 22nd April, 2022, the name(s) and specimen signatures of authorized official(s) who shall certify to the Commission person(s) duly nominated.
The notice, signed by IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati, goes further to advise political parties and their leadership to ensure candidates nominated to represent them on the ballot are qualified and eligible for election under the Constitution, the Elections Act, 2011 or any other written law and to also ensure the Nomination Certificate issued to a candidate nominated to participate in the General Election is signed by the duly authorized party official(s).
Through the same notice, independent candidates who wish to vie for various elective seats are needed to submit to the Commission a clearance certificate from the ORPP confirming that he/she is not a member of any registered political party on or before Monday 2nd May, 2022, at Anniversary Towers 21st floor between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m.
Independent candidates are also asked to present to the Commission symbols they intend to use in the election on or before Monday, 2nd May, 2022.
Those in the race for the country’s top seat, The Presidency, are to collect statutory forms for purposes of collecting particulars of their Supporters at Anniversary Towers 21st floor between 8:00 a.m. and 5:00 p.m. and deliver Duly filled forms of Supporters bearing the names, signatures, identity cards/passport numbers of at least 2,000 voters registered in each of a majority of the counties, corresponding copies of the identification documents of the voters who have appended their signatures in support of their candidature, and an electronic list of supporters before Monday 23rd May 2022.