The race to succeed President Uhuru Kenyatta has not been without its intrigues if the events surrounding Monday, June 6, are anything to go by.
As it stands, all independent presidential candidates have been disqualified by the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) giving a clear indication of the strict regulations and policies implemented by the agency.
The day ended with presidential aspirant Muthiora Kariara becoming the latest candidate to be rejected by the commission. He later burned his voter's card in the presence of the media and the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati.
He had appeared in the afternoon and was disqualified for failing to gather enough signatures. However, he was given a second chance to look for the deficit of the signatures from five counties within an hour.
Muthiora was captured by journalists covering the event hysterically running up and down the Bomas of Kenya in search of the much-needed votes.
Here is the video, courtesy of NTV
Despite the rush to meet the IEBC timeline, the sweaty Muthiora was turned down after failing to meet the rather high standard.
In a dramatic gesture, the dejected aspirant took a lighter from his pocket and burnt down his voter's card as the media and Chebukati's team watched in silence.
Earlier in the day, Safina presidential hopeful Jimi Wanjigi drew Chebukati's ire after he attempted to make a political speech at the clearance centre.
Here is the video, courtesy of TV47
Flanked by his entourage, Wanjigi had sought to become the sixth candidate to be cleared. However, his dream was curtailed after IEBC locked him out for failing to produce a valid degree certificate.
Livid about the decision, Wanjigi took the chance to address the IEBC chairman Wafula Chebukati, ranting that the process was not fair.
“There are some people who don’t want to see others on the ballot paper. Let me tell you [IEBC], you won’t get away with it. This is a country founded on law; a country that adheres to the Constitution," an irate Wanjigi addressed Chebukati.
The IEBC chairman thereafter requested Wanjigi to summarise his remarks, which Wanjigi did not take too kindly and informed Chebukati not to cut him off. However, minutes later, Wanjigi's microphone went off in unclear circumstances.
Another presidential hopeful Njeru Kathangu of Ford Asili skipped the clearance session citing bias by IEBC. He was later disqualified from the race.
Walter Mong'are, was also summoned by IEBC, days after receiving clearance to vie for the presidency. The commission later disqualified his candidature for failing to produce valid academic certificates.
The new regulations by IEBC have locked out various presidential candidates from the race. Part of the requirements for presidential candidates includes the collection of at least 48,000 signatures from registered voters in at least 24 counties. The documents ought to be accompanied by photocopies of the IDs of the supporters.
