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2017 KENYA ELECTIONS

Nazlin Umar among presidential aspirants locked out

Nazlin Umar has accused IEBC of frustrating her bid to vie for the Presidency. Photo/JEREMIAH WAKAYA..

NAIROBI, Kenya, May 29 – Independent Presidential aspirant Nazlin Umar had a heated exchange with the electoral commission chairman Wafula Chebukati after being told that her name was missing from the official voter register, and therefore could not be cleared to vie in the August elections.

Umar accused IEBC of “maliciously” not listing her despite having confirmed her details in the ongoing National Voter Verification.

“I need the IEBC to explain to me why my name is missing from the list of registered voters. I have registered, I have my Voter’s Card and I even verified. My documents are not out of order, it is your records that show my name is missing from the register of voters, so I don’t see how we can continue if I cannot for myself,” she protested.

But the chairman of the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission told her to go through the process before appearing before the commissioners for clearance.

“This is not the place to argue, I just need your papers,” Chebukati said, before she was ushered out, effectively missing out on the chance to be on the ballot.

Umar who is making her third stab at the Presidency accused the electoral commission of ignoring a court order demanding that her name be reinstated back to the list of presidential aspirants.

She accused the commission for deliberately wanting to lock her out of the presidential race.

Also locked out of the race are Justus Juma of the Justice and Freedom Party, and Independent candidates Erastus Nyamera and Truphena Ochwami who did not meet all the requirements.

“2017 was actually the year for the women, but because of the very many confusions and requirements by the IEBC it has locked most of us out and I can say it here that the most of the required documents by the IEBC are erroneous in the Constitution,” Ochwami lamented.

Nyamera, on his part flopped the test after failing to present his running mate and enough signatures from his supporters and Sh200,000 nomination fee.

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“I had conflicts among my two running mates and they had not agreed who is going to be my running mate,” he told reporters after he was dismissed.

Earlier on Monday morning, the Commission had declined to clear presidential aspirant Justus Juma of the Justice and Freedom Partly (JFP) pending correction of anomalies in crucial documents.

Chebukati, who is the Returning Officer for the National Presidential Elections, said the candidate’s degree certificate was not certified among other anomalies.

“We find that the list of supporters is not signed, your Proposer belongs to the Jubilee Party, your Seconder doesn’t belong to any political party and your degree certificate is not certified and the party certificate is not signed by an authorised person. On those grounds I reject your application as a presidential candidate,” Chebukati said after perusing documents submitted by Juma at the Kenyatta International Convention Centre (KICC).

The submission of papers by presidential aspirants which started on Sunday was closed on Monday afternoon, with the commission having cleared eight candidates who will be on the ballot in the August election.

They include President Uhuru Kenyatta, ODM’s Raila Odinga, Cyrus Jirongo of the United Democratic Party, Independent candidates Joseph Nyagah, Michael Wainaina and Japheth Kavinga.

Others are Ekuru Aukot of Third way Alliance and Abduba Dida of the Alliance for Real Change.

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