NOMINATION PAPERS

Candidates from political parties participating in the June 10 by-election in South Mugirango have presented their nomination papers to IIEC.

During the exercise at Nyamarambe CDF offices, immediate former area MP Omingo Magara got a boost as two legislators affiliated to different parties pledged to support him.

Johnston Muthama of ODM-K and Kambi Kazungu vowed to support Magara in the by-election as PNU had also indicated earlier.

Magara who is running on a PDP ticket exuded confidence of recapturing the seat and called for peaceful election campaigns.

Magara blamed his former party for frustrating him and claimed he knew the tricks it used in past elections and would apply them to sail through.

Progressive Party of Kenya (PPK) candidate who jumped ship from PNU Rashid Miyong'a lashed out at the party for its contradictory stand in supporting Magara instead of him.

Earlier the KANU candidate Joshua Ondora got a scare after the returning officer Bonventure Obongoye refused to clear his nominations papers as they were incomplete.


It was only after the intervention of KANU secretary general Nick Salat that Ondora's nomination certificate was accepted.


The returning officer had declined to accept the documents as the did not bear the signature of the party's national chairman Uhuru Kenyatta .

The candidates pledged to shun violence during their campaigns in the wake of an incident in which Magara and National Vision Party (NVP) candidate Sagero Abaga came to near fist fights at a fundraiser in the area.

The provincial administration in the area has since banned fund raising meetings in the run up to the by-election.

The seat fell vacant after the court nullified Magara's election in 2007 citing voting irregularities.