IEBC should have erred on side of values while clearing aspirants

Deputy President and UDA Presidential candidate William Ruto (centre) and his running mate Rigathi Gachagua after they were cleared to vie for Presidency by IEBC at the Bomas Of Kenya, Nairobi. [Elvis Ogina, Standard]

When the list of presidential aspirants came out, over 50 odd candidates had thrown their hats into the ring. If all had been cleared by the IEBC, the ballot paper would have been the longest in our history. This would certainly have been a nightmare for voters and counters – possibly with many spoilt votes and counting errors.

But in what appeared a master stroke of genius, the IEBC swung the pendulum to the opposite extreme, ending up with only four presidential candidates – the shortest list in the history of multiparty elections. In all probability, the presidential ballot will be the easiest to deal with, both for the voter and counting officials. But how did IEBC pull this feat?