By Mujidu
Victor,
Independent
Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will not block any political
candidate from vying as long as they have active appeals in court against
integrity cases.
This was revealed by the polls body Chairman, Wafula Chebukati, a day after the Ethics and Anti-Corruption Commission (EACC) questioned IEBC’s decision to clear some of the aspirants fingered for various ethical and criminal issues.
IEBC Chairman, Wafula Chebukati who
is the Returning Officer for the Presidential election.[Image/Twitter/IEBC]
Chebukati pointed out that their hands were tied, as the
Constitution provides a window for those with cases to vie for office unless
they are convicted and have exhausted their appeals.
IEBC however, slammed the door for those who were
impeached from office.
“As per Article 75 of the Constitution, those leaders who
were impeached stay impeached and we shall treat them as such. For those who
have been convicted but have an appeal, the commission follows the direction of
Article 99(3), that as long as you have an appeal, we cannot stop you from
vying,” Chebukati said.
EACC’s earlier statement indicated that said they had
isolated individuals who should not be cleared to run for office. “The
Commission has flagged 241 persons with various outstanding integrity issues
related to corruption and economic crime. EACC considers these persons to have
fallen short of the moral and ethical standards stipulated for election to
public office. EACC hopes that IEBC will make appropriate decisions guided by
Constitutional values and public interest,” said the anti-graft agency.
Chebukati however, revealed that they were waiting for an
active case in court to be determined.
“There is a court case in which the Chief Justice has
constituted a three-judge Bench to hear a case relating to integrity issues. I
hope that the case can be heard as soon as possible, within two weeks before
the commission starts preparing ballot papers so that if there is any direction
from the court then we shall incorporate the decision of the court,” Chebukati
added.
