Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka Listed Among Presidential Candidates by IEBC

The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission released the final list of political party nominees on Thursday and to the surprise of many, Wiper Party leader Kalonzo Musyoka appeared under the 8 listed Presidential aspirants.

Musyoka, who is a co-principal in the National Super Alliance (NASA) coalition, is Raila Odinga's running mate and many were surprised that he appeared on the list.

Wiper Secretary General Hassan Omar, however, quickly moved to dismiss the development as one that had been overtaken by events.

"We first submitted Kalonzo as flag-bearer for the Wiper Democratic Movement and then on the basis of the then coalition agreement of CORD and now NASA, he shall be Raila's running mate," asserted Omar.

It can be remembered that before NASA announced Odinga as its flag bearer, Musyoka faced a lot of pressure from members of his party and community to run for the Presidency, some even threatening to ditch him if he went for anything less.

The appearance of his name on the IEBC list may cause tension within the coalition (NASA) but Omar allayed all fears by saying everything would become clearer once the presidential candidates present their nomination papers on the 28th and 29th of this month.

"...on the basis of the legal instrument that defines the power-sharing arrangement between the five participating NASA coalition parties, nobody has to lose his identity at all," he reaffirmed.

Experts on matters of elections, however, state that there is a need for revocation of Wiper's submission of its presidential aspirant (Musyoka).

The final IEBC list has the highest number of aspirants ever recorded with:

8 Presidential Candidates

183 Governorship Aspirants

265 Senatorial Aspirants

262 Woman Representative Aspirants

9221 Members of County Assembly Aspirants

1479 Member of Parliament Aspirants