Wiper summons two parliamentary aspirants over Matungulu nomination row

Matungulu MP Stephen Mule. (Photo: Nanjinia Wamuswa, Standard)

The Wiper Party National Elections Board has summoned Matungulu MP Stephen Mule and his opponent Peter Makau for a crisis meeting to resolve a dispute between the two over Wiper ticket for Matungulu parliamentary race.

The summon follows a ruling by the High Court on Monday evening in which Wiper party’s national elections board was found to be in contravention of the Constitution for failing to hold party primaries in the constituency where both Mule and Makau had applied to be considered for nomination.

Mr Makau, a former personal assistant of Senator Johnstone Muthama had moved to court to challenge the decision of the party’s elections board to grant Mule, who was listed as an interested party in the suit a direct nomination to contest for Matungulu seat.

“The party chose the interested party, one Stephen Mule as their preferred candidate. The action was in breach of the Code of Conduct governing political parties under Political Parties Act which provides that every political party should respect, uphold and defend their respective political constitutions, election rules, political party nomination rules and all regulations developed under the political parties electoral code of conduct,” the ruling reads in part.

Tuesday, Wiper party national elections board chairperson, Agatha Solitei said the board had issued summons for both Mule and Makau to attend a hearing before the national elections board to address the issue.

“We summoned the two, honorable Stephen Mule and the appellant Peter Makau to attend a meeting with the National Elections Board and we shall re-evaluate their applications and take both of them through a vetting process and based on that we shall be able to make a decision on who to give the nomination ticket,” she said, adding that the nomination certificate that had earlier been issued to the MP had been temporarily withdrawn.

Elsewhere, five candidates have been given green light by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to contest Machakos senatorial seat that outgoing senator, Johnstone Muthama has declined to defend.

The electoral body cleared Ms Winfred Mutua (Jubilee), Jackson Kala (Wiper), Boniface Kabaka (Chama Cha Uzalendo), Mutua Katuku (People’s Trust Party) and Carlos  Kioko (Maendeleo Chap Chap).

The five candidates, whose nomination papers were inspected and cleared by County IEBC Manager Joyce Wamalwa at the commission’s offices in Machakos town, are expected to stage a political battle to succeed Muthama in the August 8 General Election.