Politicians want to use their nicknames instead of their official name on ballot papers in the upcoming August 2022, General Elections.
The Senate on Tuesday, October 12, republished The Election (Amendment) Bill, 2021 sponsored by Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina allowing the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) to use a candidate’s nickname on the ballot.
According to Nyeri Senator Ephraim Maina, the purpose of the amendment bill is to allow candidates to be presented to the electorate on party primary or election ballot papers in the way in which the candidates have chosen to familiarise themselves.
“Name recognition is an important aspect of a free and fair election and should be enabled to the fullest extent. It ensures that a voter easily identifies his or her preferred candidate on a ballot and therefore votes in the way he or she intended,” the bill reads.
The bill notes that (IEBC) would be required to approve the use of a popular name in an election.
“To ensure that this flexibility does not prejudice a free and fair election in any way, the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission would be required to approve the use of a popular name in an election,” the bill reads.
The Bill also seeks to delegate legislative power to the IEBC to enable the Commission determine the conditions that may limit the use of a popular name on a ballot paper.
This proposal will take effect once both legislative houses approve and the president signs it to law
Currently, the law only allows the use of a candidate’s official name as it appears in the voter register and in the candidate’s identification documents.
Maina argues that the current law is rigid as its requirement for one to use their official name has condemned many to defeat on the ballot as many of their supporters only recognise them by their popular names.
Under the current law, one for a candidate to have their name changed one must go through a lengthy process of changing his or her name through the procedures set out under the Registration of Persons Act, Cap 107, the Registration of Documents Act, Cap 285 and the Ruless and Regulations made under the two Acts.
