IEBC Changes Dates of Upcoming By-election

IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati at the commission's office at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi in June 2017.
IEBC Chairperson Wafula Chebukati at the commission's office at Anniversary Towers in Nairobi in June 2017.
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The Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on Monday, January 4, announced that it had rescheduled the Machakos senator by-election.

The commission announced that the by-election had been moved to March 18, 2021 from March 23.

IEBC indicated that there would be a conflict with the timelines of the by-elections with that of the national examinations which will be sat from March 7, 2022 to March 10, 2022 (KCPE) and March 11, 2022 to April 1, 2022 (KCSE).

Machakos Senator Boniface Kabaka
Machakos Senator Boniface Kabaka addresses the media in 2019
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"The commission has since been informed by Education Ministry that the National Examinations have been rescheduled to be held in the week of 23rd March 2021 which conflicts with the timelines of the Machakos senatorial by-election.

"To this end, the commission has revised the timelines for the by-election of the Senate Machakos to 18th March 2021 vide a corrigenda shared with the Government printer for publication today on 4th January 2021," reads the statement.

Political parties will be required to present candidates for the election by January 18, 2021, having resolved all disputes arising from the primaries.

Direct nominations will also close on the same date and parties required to submit names and symbols they intend to use during the by-election.

In a notice by IEBC, candidates will present their nomination papers on January 25 – for political party candidates, and January 26 – for independents.

The seat fell vacant following the death of former Machakos senator Boniface Kabaka.

The senator had been receiving treatment at a Nairobi hospital a week after he ended up in the intensive care unit (ICU).

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The late Machakos Senator Boniface Kabaka addresses the media in 2019
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