The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) chair Wafula Chebukati. He has ruled that the nominations set by opposition outfit ODM are illegal. [PHOTO/kenya-today.com]
The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has termed illegal the ODM party primaries scheduled to commence today Saturday as they fall out of the set timelines.
According to IEBC Communication Director Andrew Limo, parties can only conduct primaries after the agency first gazettes the list of aspirants.
Limo said that the commission will allow parties to hold primaries from April 13 to 26 as indicated in the Constitution.
In a statement released on Friday, he argued that ODM and all other parties are supposed to “submit their list of nominees selected to contest the elections to the Commission on or before May 10”.
He added that parties which select their nominees directly are expected to submit the list of selected persons on or before 10th of May.
“Section 31 (2C) of the Election Act requires the Commission to publish the names of persons contesting in a party primary and the date of the party primary within seven days of the receipt of the names of the party candidates,” the statement says in part.
He further said that the deadline for submission of the names was this past Wednesday.
“Parties may proceed to hold their primaries in accordance with the commission’s time-lines once the candidates have been published in the Kenya Gazette,” the statement reads.
However, Opposition chief Raila Odinga has held onto his word that parties are independent and that they therefore cannot take orders from IEBC on when and where to conduct their nominations.
ODM plans to begin their primaries in Busia, Bungoma and Machakos today as Nyamira, Kisii, Nyamira, Trans Nzoia and Samburu are to follow on Sunday.
The party's nominations are set to conclude on April 23.