1,950 aspirants approved to go it alone in polls

Registrar of Political Parties Lucy Ndung'u PHOTO:COURTESY

The Registrar of Political Parties has cleared over 1,950 aspirants to contest for various seats as independents.

The number includes nine presidential, 27 governor, 30 senator, 13 woman representative and 215 MP candidates.

MCAs have the highest number at 1,659 according to data released by the registrar.

The number could go higher as the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) was yet to compile the list yesterday evening, when the deadline for applications expired.

"We are processing the list and we will be able to give you the exact number," said IEBC Communication Manager Andrew Limo.

The commission will have the names gazetted once all the candidates' symbols have been verified.

Among the top names likely to feature are former Cabinet minister Joe Nyaga, who last week quit as presidential adviser and announced he would vie for the presidency. Others are Michael Wainana and Nazlin Umar, who are also eyeing the presidency.

Some of those seeking the governorship include Nicholas Gumbo (Siaya), David Musila (Kitui), Kiprop Bundotich aka Buzeki (Uasin Gishu), Peter Kenneth (Nairobi), Kinuthia Mbugua (Nakuru) and Ochillo Ayacko (Migori).

Former journalist Mohamed Ali is seeking the Nyali parliamentary seat as an independent after losing the ODM nominations.

The number of independents has surged because disgruntled party primary losers have exploited a loophole in the electoral law.

Previous changes to electoral laws to prevent party hopping only succeeded in ensuring that party nomination losers could not defect to other parties.

But the timelines left a window - independent candidates had until yesterday to seek clearance from the electoral body.

NOTIFY REGISTRAR

And given that party primaries were concluded on April 26, it meant losers still had time to resign from their parties and go it alone.

"A member may resign by giving a written notice to a political party. If the member is an MP or MCA, three days' written notice should also be sent to the clerk of the respective House or county assembly. The political party and the clerk are required to notify the Registrar of Political Parties," reads the law.

The Constitution requires that independents are not affiliated to any party.

Under the law, such aspirants are required to collect 1,000 signatures for National Assembly seats and 2,000 signatures for the Senate.

Independent candidates for MCA positions must have 500 signatures from their wards for onward submission to IEBC.