[CoG chair and Turkana governor Josphat Nanok. He has said IEBC has no mandate to bar candidates from vying for elective seats. Courtesy: The Star]
The Council of Governors has opposed a plan by electoral agency IEBC to bar 19 governors from seeking re-election during the forthcoming general elections over integrity issues.
In a press statement on Sunday, CoG chair and Turkana governor Josphat Nanok noted that IEBC has no mandate to bar candidates from vying.
He further observed that no County Chief has thus far been found guilty of misappropriating public funds.
“To date, no governor has been charged for any offence in a court of law. Hence, there is no constitutional basis for barring anyone who has not been charged, found guilty and exhausted all appeal avenues with the Kenyan judicial system, the council urges the IEBC to adhere to the Constitution,” he stated.
Last month, the Ethics and Anti-corruption Commission (EACC) presented a list of candidates to the IEBC's vetting committee, calling for their barring from contesting for various seats for alle failing the integrity test.
Among those on the EACC list include: Machakos governor Alfred Mutua, Garissa's Nathif Jama and Murang'a's Mwangi Wa Iria.