NAIROBI, Kenya, Aug 6 – The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has warned candidates and political parties against engaging in campaigns after the gazetted period lapsed Saturday at 6.00pm.
In a statement, the electoral body stated that “any acts of political campaigns outside this period would amount to a breach of the Electoral Code of Conduct.”
According to the Wafula Chebukati- led commission, politicians should now prepare themselves for the general election on Tuesday.
Presidential candidates Deputy President William Ruto and his competitor Raila Odinga on Saturday made their final submissions at the Nyayo and Kasarani Stadia respectively in a last ditch effort to woo voters.
The frontrunners in the presidential election vowed to revive the country’s troubled economy.
Ruto and Odinga, a veteran opposition leader now backed by the ruling party, are fighting for the chance to lead the East African powerhouse as it grapples with a cost-of-living crisis.
Previous polls have been marred by violence — including inter-ethnic clashes — and continue to cast a dark shadow over the country, where 22.1 million voters will now choose the next president, as well as senators, governors, lawmakers, woman representatives and county officials.
The battle for votes has been dominated by mud-slinging, tit-for-tat claims of rigging and a freebie bonanza for supporters, who have been showered with umbrellas, groceries and cash for attending rallies.
After months of frenetic campaigning across the vast country, the two candidates staged their final offensive in the capital Nairobi, addressing thousands of flag-waving supporters.
A former political prisoner who is making his fifth run for president, Odinga promised to transform the multi-ethnic country into a land “of hope and opportunity, a Kenya not for individual tribes, but one big Kenya tribe”.
Ruto, who has cast himself as “hustler-in-chief”, said his government would tackle inflation and create jobs, vowing: “We are going to have a nation that leaves no Kenyan behind.”
With lawyers David Mwaura and George Wajackoyah — an eccentric former spy who wants to legalise marijuana — also in the fray, speculation has mounted that Kenya may see its first presidential run-off, sparking worries that a disputed result could lead to street violence.
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