IEBC publishes qualifications for political aspirants
By Samson Kitavi
Those with fake degrees seeking presidential or gubernatorial positions will not be cleared to take part in the August polls.
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission has published qualifications and requirements for candidates contesting for elective positions ahead of party primaries with emphasis on matters integrity which also bar candidates who have been found to have abused or misused state or public office from contesting in the polls.
The fate of politicians with ambitions for elective position but are of questionable character has been sealed after IEBC published tough requirements for aspirants ranging from Members of County assemblies to those seeking Presidency.
The requirements which apply to both the party nominations and the general elections disqualify any candidate with integrity issues.
According to the IEBC, candidates must meet the moral and ethical requirements under the Leadership and Integrity Act, must also not have been found to have abused or misused state or public office or contravened Chapter Six of the Constitution.
For those aspiring to be President and governors, certified copies of educational qualification certificates including a Degree Certificate is a must.
If IEBC follows the new requirements to the letter, political careers for some of the aspirants and sitting MCA’s,MPs, senators and governors might sink into oblivion.
Political parties have up to Monday 27th March to submit membership list to IEBC ahead of the party nominations. In the meantime, the France based International digital security firm Gemalto S.A. has protested the move by IEBC to cancel a tender for the supply of Kenya Integrated Elections Management System (KIEMS) for voter identification and results transmission in the August General Election.
