The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) has announced a new date for the repeat presidential election which had initially been set for October 17th.
In a statement released on Thursday, IEBC Chairman Wafula Chebukati noted that the fresh poll will be held on Thursday, 26th October 2017. Interestingly, this date coincides with President Uhuru Kenyatta's birthday - he will be turning 56.
The IEBC cited the full Supreme Court decision released yesterday as the main reason for the review of the election date.
"There is no doubt that the judgement impacts on the election operations and in particular technology to be deployed.
"In order to ensure that the Commission is fully prepared to deliver an election that meets the standards set out by the Supreme Court. We wish to notify the public and all stakeholders that the fresh presidential election shall now be held on Thursday, 26th October 2017," the statement read in part.
The commission further stated that more details on the state of preparedness will be delivered on Friday, October 22nd.
Meanwhile, the Cabinet today approved an allocation of Kshs10 Billion to cover the repeat Presidential election. This allocation was based on a proposed budget submitted by the electoral agency IEBC.
The repeat poll will only involve Jubilee's President Uhuru Kenyatta and Opposition leader Raila Odinga after the Supreme Court turned away a petition seeking to have other candidates allowed in the contest.
