NAIROBI, Kenya, Jul 30 — The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has dismissed claims of an irregular nomination to the National Assembly following the re-allocation of a nomination slot on Friday.
IEBC said Kimuge Kipchumba’s nomination to replace John Mbadi who resigned to take up a Cabinet appointment followed the provisions of Section 37 of the Elections Act and Regulation 56B of the Elections (General) Regulations, 2012.
The Commission said Kipchumba was next in line on the official party list submitted by ODM in July 2022 and met the criteria required for nomination.
“The nominee who qualified under the law was Harold Kimuge Kipchumba, who is of the same gender as Mbadi and was the next in line on the submitted list,” the IEBC stated on Wednesday.
Legal framework
The Edung Ethekeon-led commission emphasized that it had acted within the legal framework, maintaining its commitment to transparency and the rule of law.
Kipchumba, a longtime disability rights advocate and polio survivor, was on Tuesday sworn in as a nominated Member of Parliament, taking Mbadi’s place.
IEBC spoke amid unrest within the ODM Youth League, which has openly rejected Kipchumba’s nomination.
ODM Youth League President John Ketora, widely expected to fill the vacancy, accused IEBC of bypassing his name despite meeting the qualifications.
“We are giving the party one week to address this injustice. If not, we will announce our next course of action,” said Ketora.
Other youth leaders who have since threatened to leave ODM over what they perceive as a betrayal of the young generation echoed his position.
The youth wing voiced opposition to Kipchumba’s nomination even as it received praise in other quarters as a win for representation of persons with disabilities in Parliament.
Others within ODM however see it as a blow that could cost the party popularity among younger voters especially after their call for Ketora’s nomination during a recent delegates’ executive meeting.
