Chief Justice David Maraga [PHOTO/Courtesy]
Chief Justice David Maraga has warned the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) against printing ballot papers before the petitions arising from party primaries are determined.
Maraga said that disputes over candidacy of some aspirants that were cleared by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) must first be resolved to be sure which image should appear on the printed ballot papers.
Maraga noted that the determination of some of these cases could end up disqualifying a number candidates and approving others.
"Even this morning, I allocated some of the cases arising from the nominations for hearing. Imagine if IEBC prints the ballot papers with the name of a candidate who is then disqualified," he said.
"The ballot papers will be untidy because the commission may be forced to physically stick the image of another candidate," Maraga said.
"We know these cases may create problems for the IEBC as we strive to clear them but we have no choice but to continue hearing them."
"We are looking at what we experienced in the last General Election and we know we will have many petitions. We are ready for them and we expect to do a better job than last time."