Parties in rush to beat nominations list deadline

Political parties made a mad rush to meet the Independent Electoral and Boundaries Commission (IEBC) deadline to submit nomination and members' list by Monday midnight.

IEBC chief executive James Oswago told the Nation that by midnight they had received documents from about 50 parties with some of the big names getting there fifteen minutes to the deadline.

Outside IEBC's headquarters at Nairobi’s Anniversary Towers, a tent was pitched where party representatives presented their papers to the electoral officials.

The area was abuzz with officials from various parties hurriedly getting their paperwork in order before presenting them to the IEBC officials who extended their working hours to complete the task.

Earlier on Monday, the electoral body had announced that it had opted to extend the 5pm deadline to midnight.

Among those spotted by the Nation were The National Alliance (TNA) chairman Johnson Sakaja and secretary general Onyango Oloo and United Republican Party (URP) chairman Francis ole Kaparo who was seated next to a flowerbed completing forms as officials from his party looked on.

“They have formed two rows as they are submitting two lists - the nominees’ lists and the other members' list and their qualifications,” Mr Oswago said.

He said when the clock struck midnight, the commission would not allow people to join the queues but those already in line would get served.

According to Mr Oswago, IEBC had received documents from the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM), Narc and Narc-Kenya.

He said many of the documents were not correctly presented – containing errors or failed to present them in duplicates as required by the law.

“Some have not filled the forms as expected and other did not file them in duplicates,” Mr Oswago said. “For those who have got here in time, we are allowing them to correct these mistakes.”

From Tuesday, the IEBC started cataloguing the details obtained from the parties and later start adjudicate the disputes arising from the nominations.

“Already, we have about thirty disputes from individuals which we have recorded prematurely but because they have been reported and we have accommodated them,” Mr Oswago explained.

Last week, IEBC vice chairperson Lilian Mahiri-Zaja said parties had until Monday to present any disputes which they may not have resolved.

“They have the three days to determine their issues using their own internal mechanisms. And should they exhaust them with the disagreements unresolved, they can lodge their complaints with the IEBC by 5pm,” she said.

She said that such cases will be determined by January 25 to set the stage for political opponents to face off at the polls on March 4.