Former Kibwezi MP, Kalembe Ndile on Monday rejected the proposal by the Independent Electoral and Boundary Commission (IEBC) for parliamentary seat contestants to posses a degree.
He said that the IEBC's proposal is baseless and rather chose to focus his criticism on the alleged corruption in the commission, the 'chicken' scandal.
“The individuals from the UK who were implicated in the 'chicken' scam were prosecuted and jailed for participating in corrupt deals, and Kenyans want to see their local accomplices brought to justice as soon as possible,” Kalembe Ndile said.
Ndile, who is also the Independent Party leader said that leadership is not dependent on educational qualifications but rather the ability to initiate development and fulfil the wishes of the electorate.
"The IEBC's mandate is to ensure that elections are conducted in a free and fair manner, and not deciding education qualifications of candidates," he said while addressing the press in Machakos town.
The former legislator further dismissed the IEBC’s proposal as baseless, saying that Kenyans have in the past, witnessed less educated leaders who have been better performers than their highly educated counterparts.
“There is a good number of extensively schooled governors in the country who have completely failed to put development wheels in motion in their respectively counties. Being a diploma or degree holder does not automatically make one a suitable leader because good leadership is a talent,” he stressed.
Ndile added: “Good leaders are chosen by God but not created in a lecture hall. Voters should elect leaders based on their performance capacity rather than the number of degrees one has pocketed."