This archive report was first published on 11 September 2019.
23 Candidates Cleared by IEBC to Vie for Kibra Parliamentary Seat ¶
On Tuesday, September 10, 2019, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) cleared 23 candidates to contest in the upcoming Kibra by-election, scheduled for November 7, 2019.
According to the IEBC, 16 candidates will vie for the seat through party tickets, while 7 will contest as independent candidates.
The Kibra parliamentary seat fell vacant following the death of Ken Okoth, who was battling cancer.
Okoth's brother, Bernard Imran Okoth, will contest for the seat on the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) ticket after emerging victorious in the party's nominations.
ODM leader Raila Odinga has appointed Junet Mohamed to lead the party's campaign in the by-election, with the aim of ensuring the party wins the seat.
Other candidates cleared by the IEBC include Eliud Owalo, who will fly the flag for Musalia Mudavadi's ANC party, and Khamisi Butichi, who will contest on the Ford Kenya ticket.
McDonald Mariga, a Jubilee Party candidate, was among the 7 candidates who were disqualified by the IEBC. Mariga had been disqualified due to his name missing from the voters' register in 2017.
Mariga has been given until Tuesday, September 17, 2019, to appeal the decision and be cleared to contest in the by-election.
The by-election campaign is set to kick off on Monday, September 9, 2019, with the IEBC announcing that the campaign period will start on that day.
