At least 46 presidential candidates have been approved by the Office of the Registrar of Political Parties to run in the General Election on August 9.
According to the RPP Anne Nderitu, the 46 have presented their documents to her office ahead of the, Monday, May 2 deadline and had been cleared.
Among the notable names is former military man Nixon Kukubo, who is not new to the State House race. Kukubo ran for presidency in 2007 under the Republican Party of Kenya. Notably, gospel artist Reuben Kigame also registered as an independent.
Independent candidates must meet the criteria given by the ORPP including that they should have been nominated by not fewer than two thousand voters from at least 24 counties each. They must also present a unique symbol that they would use for their campaigns.
The candidates will also be required to forward their name and that of their running mates to the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) on or before the May 16 deadline to be cleared. Presidential hopefuls must also meet all the Constitutional requirements.
“Establish and maintain a functioning office in the respective electoral area where the candidate is contesting, which must be available for inspection by the Commission at least 45 days before the elections. The address, including the physical address of the office, must be communicated to the Commission,” demands IEBC.
Also in the race as an independent is Jeremiah John Mwaniki Nyaga, who declared his bid on March 22. Mwaniki will follow in the footsteps of his father and former Cabinet Minister Joseph Nyaga.
