The Independent Elections and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) will allow people with criminal records to contest for political positions.
This is according to IEBC commissioner Abdi Guliye who says the law only requires them to bar people that have been charged and sentenced for more than six months.
Speaking when he appeared before the Senate Committee on cohesion equal opportunity and regional integration, Prof. Guliye said they will be guided by law to sieve thousands of candidates that will want to vie for one or the other in 2022.
“IEBC can only prevent someone from vying if he has been convicted in a court of law of a minimum sentence of six months and above, we do not have any other guideline that can stop someone from contesting, and we effectively maintained this position and we will not be involved in mob lynching of people, we will follow this position ad live with it,” he told members of the committee.
This was after Nandi Senator Samson Cherargei raised fears that politicians being charged in court because of political reasons could be barred from vying in future elections.
Cherargei wanted to know if IEBC would be comfortable in allowing leaders who have been charged with incitement in several courts will be allowed to vie in the upcoming elections.
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Guliye also told the committee chaired by Nominates Senator Naomi Shionga that his commission will be ready to hold massive by elections if the President was to implement an advisory by Chief Justice David Maraga to dissolve Parliament.
“The Commission is prepared, we have alsmot 900 staff in 47 counties and 290 constituencies and therefore we are always prepared to conduct elections, only challenge is that we need the support in terms of funding to undertake the elections, so we are prepared” Guliye said.
He however declined to say how much the commission would need, only saying they can only determine that after he decision to disband parliament has been made.
